You make a sharp turn while running in a flag football game and you feel it: the “pop” that signals an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Injuries to the ACL are all too common, and it’s estimated that as many as 200,000 occur annually in the U.S.
Surgery is an option that might be necessary for an ACL that’s completely torn. However, many partial ACL tears can recover in at least three months without surgery. There are many ways you can help keep your ACL tear recovery time to a minimum. Taking part in physical therapy is one of the most effective options.
Two therapy methods can help you reduce ACL tear recovery time and avoid surgery
Physical therapists have many therapy methods at their disposal. When a patient wants to treat an ACL tear without surgery, a combination of therapy techniques can be helpful. There are two techniques in particular that can reduce recovery times and surgery risk:
- Therapeutic exercise — There will be a few days after your injury where you should rest your knee. This rest will give the body time to begin its natural healing process. However, you should also start moving your knee once this initial rest period is past. A physical therapist can help pinpoint when you’re ready to start moving again. They can help you learn how to perform many beneficial exercises for your knee as well. Patients who used physical therapy alone to treat an ACL injury had Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores (KOOS) that were 10 points higher than those who had surgery in one study.
- Aquatic therapy — Therapists can use aquatic therapy to help patients who have trouble doing therapy exercises on dry land. One reason is that this technique significantly reduces the force of gravity on the body. In fact, submerging yourself up to your neck in water offloads about 90% of your body weight from your spine and joints.
Treat your ACL tears without surgery and shorten your recovery time with help from Border Therapy Services
Want to go without surgery and reduce the recovery time for your ACL tear? Our experienced team of physical therapists at Border Therapy Services can help. We offer free screenings that can evaluate the extent of your injury. Our team also excels at building individualized treatment plans that can reduce recovery times for many injuries.
Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment to start treating your ACL injury.