What Does The Acl Do
Perhaps the most important ligament in the knee is the anterior cruciate ligament . It is no bigger than your little finger and runs from the front of your shinbone to the back of your thighbone . The ACL has several functions:
- It provides stability to the knee when twisting or turning.
- It prevents the tibia from moving forward relative to the femur.
- It is crucial to activities that require quick cutting and pivoting.
Why Have So Many Women’s Soccer Stars Torn Their Acls
The ability to pinpoint specific causes of injuries is ultimately an inexact science. When it comes to the human body, there are so many factors and variables that can affect an athlete’s propensity or resistance to injury.
USWNT star Alex Morgan, who tore her ACL way back in high school, told The Sporting News during a recent press conference that she thinks it’s possible a shortened preseason and extended competition at the domestic level in the United States could be to blame for injuries in her part of the world.
“We look at the Challenge Cup, it was a great preseason tournament to have,” Morgan said in early September in reference to the kickoff tournament of the U.S. women’s professional season. “But having that bonus set for players to win, having it be a little more competitive than I think players were really ready for, having players playing 90 minutes week-in and week-out…is that the best for players in the first five weeks of the preseason? Probably not.”
Dr. Luks says a quick ramp-up to competitive matches early in the season potentially increases the risk for injury. He explained how a proper and full preseason is critically important to avoiding injury during the year. Essentially, nerves that direct muscle movements connect to those muscles via “motor end plates” which degrade over time. Preseason, which features a slow increase in repetitive activity, is required to rebuild those connections.
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What Happens During Surgery For A Torn Acl
ACL reconstruction surgery uses a graft to reconstruct the ACL. The graft can be a tendon, with or without bones attaching to it, from the patients own body or from someone else who donated the tendon .
ACL repair surgery is usually done arthroscopically. This type of surgery is done using a tiny camera and small instruments that are inserted through small incisions .
Recovery from ACL surgery can take 612 months. A person may use crutches and a leg brace after surgery, and might need a knee brace after that.
Physical therapy is important to help the knee heal. PT helps to:
- improve range of motion and flexibility
- regain strength in the knee, thigh, and shin muscles
- reduce pain and swelling
- improve balance
What Is An Acl Injury
ACL refers to the anterior cruciate ligament. It is 1 of 4 ligaments in your knee. The other knee ligaments are PCL , MCL , and LCL . The ACL is located behind the kneecap . It stabilizes the knee when it rotates. The ACL and PCL connect your thigh bone to your shin bone .
An ACL injury is the overstretching or tearing of the ACL ligament. A torn ACL is a common knee injury. On average, women are 2 to 8 times more at risk of ACL injuries than men. Teenagers also are getting ACL injuries at an increased rate, probably because more kids are involved in organized sports. The increase in ACL injuries is also due to more awareness and advanced testing.
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Pearls And Other Issues
Return to activity is variable and patient-dependent. The average return to full activity and/or sports participation is estimated to be between 6 to 12 months after surgical reconstruction, depending upon their progress with PT and the type of sport/activity to which they are returning. However, some studies have shown up to 18 months or more for the graft to become fully functional and incorporated. Early/premature return to activity can lead to re-injury and graft failure.
What Is The Treatment
A medical professional may be able to determine the severity of your injury with a physical exam in some cases you need an X-ray or MRI to confirm the diagnosis.
Once diagnosed, patients will almost always have to receive surgery. For older athletes, or those who are relatively inactive, a brace and physical therapy may be enough to heal the injury.
In almost every other case, however, a minimally invasive surgery is required to reconstruct the ligament. Post-surgery recovery time varies from one athlete to the next, but most people are able to return to their sport within six to nine months, according to Health.UCSD.edu.
ACL injuries are very common, and almost always result in a complete tear of the ligament. Work to prevent this injury by keeping your lower body strong with jump squats, lunges and landing practice.
Unfortunately, even a strong lower body cant prevent an ACL tear. Knowing the symptoms ensures you can seek medical attention immediately, and ultimately results in a quick return to your sport.
The reality is that there is no quick fix to an ACL injury, however there is a solution to ease pain and speed up recovery: wearing an ACL brace.
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What Happens During Acl Reconstruction Surgery
ACL reconstruction is performed arthroscopically to ensure proper graft placement and minimize the risk of complications.
- The old, torn ligament is removed
- The ligament is replaced with a new graft harvested from one of several sources.
- An autograft is when the new ligament is harvested directly from the patients own patellar or hamstring tendon.
- An allograft is harvested from an outside source.
Treatment And Recovery For Acl Vs Mcl Tears
Immediately after injuring your knee, apply ice to the area, use a compression garment to stabilize the joint, and prop up your knee to elevate it until you can get medical treatment.
Dr. Heiden will evaluate the condition of your knee and guide you in rehabilitation. He will provide a stabilizing brace and may recommend crutches during the initial healing process.
Moderate to severe ACL tears can require surgery to resolve. In most cases, a graft is used to replace the torn part of the ligament. Recovery can take six months or more depending on the severity of the injury. Dr. Heiden will help you determine if surgery is necessary. An MCL tear rarely needs surgery and typically heals after approximately eight weeks of focused rehab. Heiden Orthopedics treats a range of ligament injuries, including ACL and MCL tears. Learn more about the knee anatomy and procedures.
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Report: Zach Ertzs Acl Is Intact But He Is Expected To Miss Multiple Weeks
Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz injured his knee in the first quarter Sunday and appeared emotional as he was carted to the training room. The news appears better than what everyone was thinking.
After an initial examination, the team believes Ertzs anterior cruciate ligament is intact, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Ertz, who was wearing a brace after the Cardinals win, is expected to miss multiple weeks.
An MRI on Monday will determine the full extent of the injury.
Ertz made one catch for 12 yards before his injury, giving him 47 receptions for 406 yards and four touchdowns.
The Damage Done By Acl Surgery
Most people believe that when theyre getting a body part replaced like an ACL that the doctor merely switches out the part like a new tire on a car. However, thats not close to accurate. The surgery to replace the ACL will do predictable damage to the knee. This damage can lead to pain after ACL surgery.
For example, we know that the ACL reconstruction surgery itself acts as a second hit to the knee cartilage . Meaning the first cartilage damage event comes with the injury and the second comes after the doctor drills the tunnels to place the ACL graft. Meaning, based on recent research, the act of performing an ACL surgery may be further damaging the cartilage. This likely explains why, despite stabilizing the knee, ACL surgery doesnt prevent or delay the onset of knee arthritis . Obviously, the early onset of knee arthritis could be one cause of pain after ACL surgery.
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What Is The Recover Time After Torn Acl Surgery
Rehabilitation and return to normal function after surgical repair of an ACL tear can take six to nine months. There needs to be a balance between trying to do too much work in physical therapy returning strength and range of motion and doing too little. Being too aggressive can damage the surgical repair and cause the ligament to fail again. Too little work lengthens the time to return to normal activities.
What Happens During Acl Surgery
The anterior cruciate ligament is located in the knee, connecting the thigh bone and tibia and helping keep the joint stabilized. The ACL can be torn if there is a sudden change in direction or speed, or if a direct blow is sustained to the knee. This type of injury most commonly occurs during sports that involve jumping, cutting, or changing directions quickly, such as soccer, basketball, football, and tennis. Approximately 200,000 ACL tears occur each year in the United States alone.
While an ACL tear may not necessarily require surgery for all patients particularly athletes who participate in sports those who want to return to high-level athletics will likely need surgical intervention to repair their torn ACL ligament. This surgical repair can now be performed using a minimally invasive technique called arthroscopic knee repair as an outpatient procedure. Lets discuss what happens during ACL surgery.
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How Common Are Acl Tears Who Is At Risk
ACL tears are a very common knee injury. In the United States there are between 100,000 and 200,000 incidents every year. Theyre common in athletes, especially those who do start-stop, sudden change in direction sports like football, basketball, soccer and volleyball. Youre also at a higher risk if you work a strenuous job that requires climbing, pivoting or jumping.
An ACL tear can happen to anyone at any age, but females are four times more likely to have an ACL tear than males. Experts have yet to agree on why females are more prone. Some think this is because of different physical conditioning, neuromuscular control, or muscle strength. Others think that its because of a difference in pelvis and lower leg alignment, looser ligaments, or how estrogen affects a womans ligaments. Differences in how women jump and land could also be a factor.
What Happens After Acl Surgery
After surgery youll need to keep your wound clean and dry. Youll use ice to reduce swelling and pain. You may use a brace and crutches.
Youll have physical therapy to strengthen your knee and the muscles around it. The first few days following surgery, youll perform gentle range-of-motion and simple strengthening exercises, and some weight-bearing exercises. Physical therapy will start within the first week, including advanced strengthening and balance activities.
After about 12 to 16 weeks, if youre not an athlete, sport-specific activities are added to the rehabilitation program, such as hopping, jumping and agility drills. An athlete should be able to return to normal activity about six to nine months after the ACL surgery.
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Knee Pain After Acl Surgery
Do you still have knee pain even though you had an ACL surgery to correct it? Its one of the most frustrating things that I hear from people and they come in and they said, I had an ACL surgery and Ive really aggravated it. I dont know if Ive messed up the surgery. I cant play sports, its even hurting just when Im sitting around when I am sleeping, and it bothers me, it swells. Now thats a common problem. Theres clicking and shifting inside the knee joints.
Well, Im going to explain to you why people get knee pain after having surgery today. My name is Dr. David Middaugh. And Im a specialist physical therapist. This channel here is focused on helping people stay healthy, active, and mobile, while avoiding unnecessary surgery injection or medication. Please subscribe to our channel so that you dont miss out on any of the helpful videos that we upload every single week. So lets get to it.
Let me show you my picture here about knee pain and ACL surgeries. So in a knee, let me just orient you, these are the thigh bones up here on the top, youve got the left and the right. And then in blue right here, youve got the ACL ligaments ACL is anterior cruciate ligament. And then right here on the bottom, youve got the shin bones. And theres the foot. without all the bones drawn, of course, its too much detail.
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Can Acl Injuries Be Prevented Or Avoided
The leading way to prevent injuries such as an ACL tear is to follow a training routine. A physical therapist, athletic trainer, or other sports medicine specialist can help you develop an exercise program that will help reduce your risk of injury. Such a program will usually include:
- Exercises that strengthen leg muscles
- Exercises that strengthen your core
- Techniques and proper knee position when jumping and landing
- Techniques for movements that can lead to injury, such as pivoting or cutting
There is no clear evidence that use of a knee brace prevents ACL injuries. There also is no proof that a knee brace helps more during treatment or physical therapy.
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Nonsurgical Acl Injury Treatment
Unfortunately, most ACL tears wont heal without surgery. Non-operative treatments offer relief of symptoms, but do not restore stability.
Physical therapy can relieve pain and restore range of motion and strength. A knee brace can stabilize your knee, and crutches help you keep weight off it. Most patients are able to resume daily activity with a torn ACL, but the knee is not stable for rotation or jumping.
The risk after an ACL tear is that more strenuous activities will cause the knee to give out again and will cause more damage to the knee. When the knee gives out again, there is even more shear on the meniscus, which frequently causes additional meniscus tears and cartilage damage.
Symptoms Of An Acl Injury
The primary sign of an ACL injury is a popping noise. This is often combined with pain and swelling. You could experience grinding feelings of your bones or kneecap. Another sign is not being able to put weight on your leg. People with a mild ACL injury might feel like their knee is unstable, or like it might give out when they are using it.
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Whats Worse Acl Or Mcl Tear
With an MCL tear, the recovery process may take up to eight weeks or more with rehabilitation. On the other hand, an ACL tear will most likely require surgery and at least six months or more of rehabilitation. A torn ACL or MCL is a serious injury that should be assessed and treated by an orthopedic surgeon.
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What Are The Common Treatments For Knee Injury
Treatment for a knee sprain or torn ligament can vary greatly, depending on:
- How long youve had symptoms.
- How many knee ligaments are injured.
- Severity of the injury .
- Whether pain or inability to put weight on your knee is interfering with your life.
- Whether the injury weakens the knee and puts you at risk for more injuries in the future.
Treatment may range from nonsurgical to surgical:
- RICE: rest, ice, compression with an elastic bandage and elevation.
- Assistive devices .
- Immobilization .
- Physical therapy.
- Surgery by an orthopedic surgeon to repair or rebuild the damaged ligament.
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What Causes An Acl Knee Injury
An ACL knee injury can occur either when there is direct contact with the knee or from an awkward movement, usually when the foot is fixed to the ground e.g. when wearing studs/cleats
Non-Contact ACL Injuries
Non-contact injuries account for 80% of all anterior cruciate ligament injuries and are caused by:
Contact ACL Injuries
Contact injuries account for only 20% of all ACL knee injuries and are usually from a blow to the side of the knee when the foot is firmly planted to the ground e.g. with studs which forces the shin bone too far inwards or backwards
An ACL knee injury can also occur at other times for example car accidents, falling, or from wear and tear.
Gender Effect
Whilst ACL knee injuries most commonly occur in men, this is because they are more likely to play high risk sports. In actual fact, studies have shown that women are at greater risk being approximately 5 times more likely to suffer from an ACL knee injury than men.
This is thought to be due to a combination of factors including hormone levels, ligament structure, pelvis angle, hamstring flexibility and size of the ligament itself.