ACL Injuries (Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries) Julia Kudryashova

ACL injuries One of the most common knee injuries is an anterior cruciate ligament sprain or tear Athletes who participate in sports like soccer, football, and basketball are more likely to injure their ACL (because of the required twisting motion of their knee) Injuring your ACL will most likely require surgery to regain full function in your knee Most ACL injuries are complete or near complete tear, partial tears are rare

Anatomy of the knee Bones are connected to other bones by ligaments 4 primary ligaments: Collateral Ligaments These are found on the sides of your knee. They control the sideways motion of your knee and brace it against unusual movement. Cruciate Ligaments These are found inside your knee joint. The cruciate ligaments control the back and forth motion of your knee.

Causes The anterior cruciate ligament can be injured in several ways: Changing direction rapidly Stopping suddenly Slowing down while running Landing from a jump incorrectly Direct contact or collision, such as a football tackle

Symptoms When an athlete injures their anterior cruciate ligament they will hear a popping noise and feel their knee give out Other symptoms include: Pain with swelling Loss of full range of motion Tenderness along the joint line Discomfort while walking

Nonsurgical Treatment A torn ACL will not heal without surgery. Nonsurgical treatment may be effective for patients who are elderly or have a very low activity level Bracing. Your doctor may recommend a brace to protect your knee from instability. To further protect your knee, you may be given crutches to keep you from putting weight on your leg. Physical therapy. As the swelling goes down, a careful rehabilitation program is started. Specific exercises will restore function to your knee and strengthen the leg muscles that support it.

Surgical Treatment Rebuilding the ligament: Most ACL injuries cannot be stitched back together The ligament must be reconstructed with a tissue graft Grafts can be taken from the patellar tendon It may be six or months before an athlete can return to sports

Procedure Surgery to rebuild the ACL is done with an arthroscope using small incisions Arthroscope surgery is less invasive , which leads to less time spent at the hospital and quicker recovery times ACL reconstruction is usually not done right away This delay gives the inflammation a chance to resolve

Rehabilitation A physical therapy program is essential in a successful ACL recovery Physical therapy first focuses on returning motion to the joint and surrounding muscles This is followed by a strengthening program designed to protect the new ligament This strengthening gradually increases the stress across the ligament

Women at higher risk Studies have shown that female athletes have a higher incidence of ACL injury than males This is due to differences in physical conditioning, muscular strength and neuromuscular control Factors why women are at a higher risk: Women have a straighter hip and have slightly more deviation of the knee joint outward Women’s muscle tissue is more flexible than men’s tissue- this causes higher ACL tears There is a significant difference between quadriceps and hamstring strength in male and female athletes