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 outwardWomen’s muscle tissue is more flexible than men’s

tissue- this causes higher ACL tearsThere is a significant difference between quadriceps

and hamstring strength in male and female athletes