Overview
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is tissue that connects the thighbone to the shinbone, at the knee. An ACL injury is a tear or sprain of the anterior cruciate – one of the most common ways people hurt their knees. This is one of the bands of tissue that holds the bones together within your knee. It also helps to keep your knee stable.
It’s often painful, and can make it hard to walk or put pressure on the injured leg.
How does it happen?
ACL injuries often happen during sports and fitness activities that can put stress on the knee. Most ACL injuries occur during certain sports such as basketball, football, skiing and tennis when they stop and quickly change directions while they’re running.
Causes includes:
- stopping suddenly
- receiving a direct blow to the knee or having collision
- landing awkwardly from a jump
- suddenly slowing down or changing direction (cutting)
ACL risk factors
There are a number of factors that increase your risk of an ACL injury, that includes:
- Being female – possibly due to differences in anatomy and muscle strength
- Sports like soccer, basketball, gymnastics, etc.
- Using faulty patterns of movements in the sports
- Wearing footwear that doesn’t fit properly
- Using poorly maintained sports equipment
ACL symptoms
Many people hear a popping noise in their knee when they get hurt. But it doesn’t happen to everyone. More common symptoms include:
- Severe pain and inability to continue activity
- Rapid swelling
- Loss of range of motion
- A feeling of instability with weight bearing
ACL diagnosis
Your orthopedic doctor will check your knee swelling and will check both knees to see if the sore one looks different. You may also need some tests to rule out other causes of the ACL injury and to determine the severity of the injury. These tests may include:
- X-rays
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Ultrasound (to check for injuries in the ligaments, tendons and muscles of the knee)
- Arthroscopy (Your doctor can see what type of injury you have and repair or correct it, if needed)
ACL injury treatment
Treatment of ACL injury depends on how badly you have been hurt. Some of the treatment options your orthopedic surgeon may recommend include:
Basic first aid
If you have minor injury, you may only need to put ice on your knee, elevate your leg or wrap an elastic bandage around your knee.
Medications
Your may be prescribed with over-the-counter medications to reduce swelling or pain.
Knee brace
Wearing brace on the knee when you play sports as it provides extra support.
Physical therapy
To get your knee back in working order.
ACL Surgery
If your ACL is torn badly, your orthopedic surgeon may recommend a surgery that removes the damaged ligament and replaces it with a segment of tendon. This surgery is called ACL reconstruction.
