ACL Physical Therapy in Rigby

Dealing with an ACL injury is no easy feat. Your ACL, short for Anterior Cruciate Ligament, is necessary for walking, daily functioning, and an active lifestyle. Unfortunately, ACL injuries are the most common knee injury, especially in athletes, and consist of a long and hard recovery in most cases. However, physical therapy can aid in speeding up the process and help you get back 100% of what you could have done before. At Pick PT in Rigby, we can provide you with the knowledge and personalized means by which you can make a full recovery and get back to what you love doing.

Levels of an ACL Tear

The ACL, or Anterior Cruciate Ligament, is an important ligament that provides support and function for your leg. It connects the bones of the thigh and shinbone, holding them diagonally across the knee. It also provides support and stability for your knee with other cartilage. Because it works so closely with these other bones and ligaments, damage to the ACL can cause improper functioning in those close areas in the leg. There are 3 main levels of ACL damage depending on how severe it is. 

Grade 1: 

This occurs when there is only mild damage to the ACL. The ACL stretches but doesn’t tear at all. Your knee may feel a little looser than normal, but can get better easily through physical therapy and still maintains stability for the knee. 

Grade 2:

This occurs when there is a partial tear in the ACL, stretching it to the point where it becomes pretty loose and you lose the main function of the ACL: support and stability. 

Grade 3:

This is when there is a complete tear in the ACL. It breaks into 2 separate parts and can cause immediate pain and loss of proper function. This is the most common among the grades of ACL damage and will need surgery to get back to full function and fewer complications. 

Main Risk Factors and Causes

The main risk factor for experiencing this kind of injury is being a part of a high-intensity sport that involves a lot of jumping, turning motions, and impact on the knee. The most common sports in which an ACL injury occurs are:

• Basketball: Basketball involves a lot of jumping and an ACL injury can occur if you land wrong and impact the ligament. Basketball also involves shifting weight and pivoting a lot and an ACL tear can happen if your foot stays planted while the rest of your body turns.
• Soccer: Soccer is another risky sport for ACL injuries because it works so closely with the legs. Whether you get kicked or put your weight on your leg wrong when turning, running, etc. an ACL injury is more prone to happen. 

Other Risk Factors

• Females are more prone to ACL injuries based on body composition and hormones.
• Poor conditioning can result in a lack of strength and you may be more susceptible to an ACL tear.

An ACL injury can be inevitable, whether you train and condition properly. Sometimes it can just happen by one small incident or mistake. However, the chances of it happening can be minimized by continuing to work on building muscle strength, agility, proper training, and warming up.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

It is easy to determine if you just underwent an ACL injury. The symptoms usually happen immediately after it occurs. Some major symptoms or telltale signs are:

• Popping in the knee followed by pain
• Weakness in the knee
• Inability to continue or put weight on it
• Swelling 
• Loss in range of motion

If you experience any of these symptoms, see a doctor immediately and they will be able to know what the best course of action will be to take. Swelling can begin in the first few hours of injuring the ACL, so try to get a diagnosis before the swelling skews it. 

During the diagnosis process, they will ask you questions about what happened, how much it hurts, and other questions about the history of it. After that, they will complete a physical exam to assess the strength and stability of your knee. They will also complete diagnostic tests, such as an X-ray or MRI to have a clearer picture of the degree of the injury. From this, they can provide treatment options that will be the most beneficial for you. 

Treatment

Nonsurgical Options 

If your injury is not too severe and you don’t participate in high-intensity sports, your doctor may consider nonsurgical methods to treat your ACL. The most beneficial option is physical therapy. When being referred or working with a physical therapist, they can create a personalized plan for you to heal the injury. At Pick PT in Rigby, we can:

• Provide you with exercises to slowly build the strength back up. These can include exercises such as straight leg raises, prone knee extensions, etc. They will work closely with you to make sure you are doing the exercises correctly in a way that will speed up recovery, not hinder your progress. 
• Perform simple procedures such as icing or elevating your legs. Usually, this will be completed after your exercises to stay in a consistent routine. 
• Give you directions on what you can do on your own. Physical therapy is not an overnight treatment. You need to do some things on your own time to continue your progress. They will give you specific instructions on exercises to do at home, how much to ice, when to take medicine, etc. 

Surgery

If you have a complete tear in your ACL, surgery will most likely be the best option for you since a full tear cannot heal on its own. Especially, if you want to get back to playing your sport, surgery will be the best way to prevent further implications down the line. 

The doctor can either repair the ligament or reconstruct it using tissue from another part of the body. Depending on your specific case, they will work with you to decide which would be best and what you would be the most comfortable with. 

Post-op Care

Post-operational care is essential to recovery. You need to listen to a doctor or physical therapist’s instructions to make sure you don’t backpedal in your progress. At Pick PT in Rigby, we will be able to curate a post-op program to get you back to your life after this drastic change. We have experienced therapists and an amazing facility that will help you tremendously in this process. We will work with you closely to navigate using crutches, practice low-impact exercises, and be able to progress with more intense exercises as we see fit with the timeline of your healing. This usually ranges from 6-9 months, depending on the level of activity you are getting back into. 

Helping Our Rigby Community

We love helping our Rigby clients and want to get you back to the life that you love. Sports are a big part of the Rigby community and we want to help athletes be the strongest and healthiest versions of themselves. If you are struggling with a minor ACL injury or recovering from surgery and would benefit from our services, schedule an appointment at Pick PT in Rigby and we can help you on your healing journey!