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ACL Tears

acl tear.

Physical Therapy for ACL Tears

If you are experiencing sudden pain and swelling, loss of motion, and instability in your knee, you may be suffering from a torn ACL. ACL tears that happen without warning and, without intervention, can result in more severe conditions or further injury over time. An ACL injury or tear can bench you for the season and turn easy tasks, such as walking, climbing stairs, or even extending your leg, into incredibly painful ones. Early assessment of your knee pain to diagnose an ACL injury puts you on the path to regained mobility and pain relief, and physical therapy is a beneficial, non-invasive process for treatment and rehabilitation.

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What is an ACL Tear?

The ACL or “anterior cruciate ligament” is a major group of tissues (ligaments) connecting the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) at the knee joint. An ACL tear is a common injury among athletes that participate in high-impact sports like basketball, football, skiing, and gymnastics. However, athletic play is not the only factor that can cause an ACL tear.

It can tear if you:

  • Twist your knee while keeping your foot planted in one place
  • Extend your knee farther than its usual range of movement
  • Stop suddenly when running
  • Experience a direct hit to your knee
  • Abruptly shift your weight from one leg to the other
  • Jump and land on a straightened knee

No matter the cause, an ACL injury is traumatic. It results in leg weakness, swelling, bleeding into the joint (hemarthrosis), loss of motion, and reduced reflex in your quad muscle. When left untreated, a torn ACL limits your involvement in sports, work, and other activities that can cause the knee to swell, give out, or feel unstable. If you continue to use your knee after an ACL injury, you’re at risk of worsening symptoms and developing other severe conditions.

Ignoring an ACL tear only increases ongoing inflammation, weakening of the ligament, and the time it takes to properly heal. A partial tear is likely to turn into a complete rupture without early intervention and treatment.

Do you have pain from an ACL tear knee injury?

Our physical therapists will diagnose your pain or injury and customize a physical therapy rehabilitation plan just for you. We will work in an effective way to get you back on your feet, focused on your wellness before, during and after therapy.

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Insurances We Accept

Below is a condensed list of insurances we participate with throughout our network of physical therapy clinics.  Find your particular provider below based on your area.
For a complete listing of all insurance providers and individual plans by name: CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL INSURANCE PAGE.

*CLICK TO EXPAND REGIONS

Tri-State Area Insurance Providers

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut

  • Aetna (NY, NJ, CT)
  • AmeriHealth (NJ)
  • Anthem BCBS (NY, CT)
  • Bardavon (Workers Compensation: NY, NJ, CT)
  • Cigna/ASH (NY, NJ, CT)
  • Claims Resolution Corp (Workers Compensation: NJ)
  • ClearComp (Workers Compensation: NY, NJ, CT)
  • Clover Health Medicare Advantage (NJ)
  • Comp X (Workers Compensation: NJ)
  • ConnectiCare (CT)
  • Department of Labor (Workers Compensation: NY, NJ, CT)
  • Emblem Health – GHI/HIP (NY, NJ, CT)
  • Empire Plan (Optum – NY, NJ, CT)
  • First MCO (Workers Compensation: NJ)
  • Horizon BCBS (NJ)
  • Horizon Casualty Services (HCS) Network Solutions
  • Independence BCBS (Southern NJ)
  • MagnaCare (NY, NJ, CT)
  • MagnaComp (Workers Compensation: NY, NJ, CT)
  • Medicare (NY, NJ, CT)
  • MedRisk (Workers Compensation: NY, NJ, CT)
  • New Jersey Manufacturers/NJM (Workers Comp: NJ)
  • No Fault (various carriers)
  • Northwell Health Clinical Integration Network IPA (NY)
  • OccuNet (NJ)
  • One Call (Workers Compensation: NY, NJ, CT)
  • Oscar (NY)
  • Oxford (Optum – NY, NJ, CT)
  • Providers Edge Scheduling Group/PESG (Workers Comp: NJ)
  • SPNet (Workers Compensation: NY, NJ, CT)
  • Streamline (Workers Compensation: NJ)
  • TRICARE (NY, NJ, CT)
  • United Healthcare (Optum – NY, NJ, CT)
  • VACCN (Optum – NY, NJ, CT)
  • WellCare (NY)
  • Workers Compensation (various carriers)

New England Insurance Providers

Massachusetts, New Hampshire

  • Aetna (MA, NH)
  • Ambetter/NH Healthy Families (NH)
  • Amerihealth Caritas (NH)
  • Anthem BCBS (NH)
  • BCBS Massachusetts (MA)
  • CeltiCare (MA)
  • Cigna/ASH (MA, NH)
  • Commonwealth Care Alliance (MA)
  • Fallon Health (MA, NH)
  • Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (MA, NH)
  • MaineCare (NH)
  • Magnacare (MA, NH)
  • Martin’s Point Health Care (NH)
  • MassHealth (MA, Seabrook Location in NH)
  • MGB (MA, NH)
  • Medicaid (MA, NH)
  • Medicare (MA, NH)
  • ML Healthcare (NF: MA)
  • No Fault (various carriers)
  • TRICARE (MA, NH)
  • UniCare (MA)
  • United Healthcare (Optum - MA, NH)
  • WellSense (MA, NH)
  • Workers Compensation (various carriers)

symptoms.

What Are ACL Tear Symptoms?

The most common sign of a torn ACL is the popping feeling or audible popping sound that occurs at the time of injury. Not all patients will experience a pop, but they will usually feel an abrupt shift in the joint. Severe pain, redness, and swelling usually occurs within minutes of the injury. The most common symptoms of an ACL injury include:

  • Instability
  • Swelling
  • Inability to bear weight on the affected leg
  • Redness
  • Pain
  • Loss of full range of motion

Diagnosis of a Torn ACL

Tools that can be used to diagnose an ACL tear and refer you to PT include a clinical exam, MRI, X-Ray or Orthopedic Specialist.

If you suspect you’ve experienced an ACL tear, it’s vital to visit a doctor or a licensed physical therapist as soon as possible. Professional’s highly trained physical therapists will work closely with you to educate you on your ACL tear diagnosis, evaluate your pain and other symptoms, develop goals, and create an individualized treatment plan designed to relieve pain, and rehabilitate the ligament.

If you are suffering from any pain in the knee that may not be related to an ACL tear, please visit our primary knee information page⇒.

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When Should I Seek Physical Therapy for an ACL Tear?

If you are experiencing symptoms of or have been diagnosed with an ACL tear, when can you benefit from physical therapy? The answer: As soon as possible! It is important to seek ACL tear treatment as soon as the pain is noticeable.

Professional’s physical therapists work with you to assess and address your ACL injury symptoms and severity to create a personalized treatment plan for your pain.

Initial Consultation at Professional Physical Therapy

Identifying an ACL injury or ACL tear as the source of your knee pain is the first step to treating it. During your initial consultation, Professional’s physical therapists will discuss your concerns with you, examine your current physical limitations, and create a plan to address your pain and help curb the onset of additional or worsening symptoms. Your PT will reevaluate your condition with each visit to make sure that your rehabilitation progress and treatment plan are aligned.

Our physical therapists are dedicated not only to getting you back to doing the things you love but doing everything possible to safeguard you from worsening ACL tear symptoms and other future knee injuries and conditions.

Woman sitting at a pain relief consultation with a professional physical therapist.

What Can I Expect from Physical Therapy for an ACL Tear?

Physical therapy for an ACL tear can seem daunting. Professional’s PTs are committed to ensuring that our treatment is comprehensive, manageable, and customized to fit your specific symptoms and concerns. Our physical therapists are experts on ACL injury pain and welcome any questions if you do not understand your diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment plan.

Below are just a few of the techniques we use to treat an ACL tear or rehabilitate you after an ACL injury or surgery:

  • Exercise Therapy
  • Occupational Manual Physical Therapy
  • Global Exercise
  • NSAIDs
  • Bracing & Taping
  • Soft Tissue Mobilization & Stimulation
  • Job or Sport Simulation/Training
  • Functional Lifting and Plyometrics

When you work with the knowledgeable physical therapists at Professional PT and take an active role in your treatment plan, you have the best chance of a complete and timely recovery. Whether your goal is to get back to tearing up the soccer field or just enjoying the ability to climb stairs without any pain, we are ready to support you every step of the way. Professional’s physical therapists can identify and treat ACL injuries and conditions and guide and encourage you when you are ready to return to activities.

Find the clinic nearest you⇒ to speak with a Professional physical therapist who specializes in knee injuries and ACL tears today.

Convenient physical therapy clinics near you

We provide treatments for ACL tear pain relief from our physical therapy clinics throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.  Fill out the form above, or contact a clinic near you to speak with a Professional Physical Therapist and ACL tear specialist today.

Get physical therapy for ACL tear pain relief

We will work in an effective way to manage your knee pain during and after therapy

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