Many young athletes unfortunately will injure their ACL during their sports seasons. The ACL is one of the four important ligaments that hold your knee together. The four ligaments of your knee are the:
- ACL (anterior cruciate ligament)
- PCL (posterior cruciate ligament)
- MCL (medial collateral ligament)
- LCL (lateral collateral ligament)
Unfortunately, the ACL is the most injured ligament in the knee.
What is the ACL and why does it matter if I injure it?
The ACL is one of the primary ligaments that holds together the bones in your knee. It is one of the two ligaments that cross in the middle of the knee and connects your thighbone to your shinbone and helps stabilize your knee. If you tear or sprain your ACL, you will have poor control and instability in the knee which can lead to pain or other injuries.
How does this type of injury occur?
Most ACL injuries happen with a non contact sport or activity. This means that there is no contact happening and your knee just twists a different way and your ACL tears. This happens when your legs are not properly trained and have weaknesses in the legs.
Do I need to get surgery if I injure my ACL?
You do not necessarily need to get surgery if you have an ACL injury. Surgery will depend on how functional you are with the injury, if there is a complete tear of the ligament, and depends on how active you are and your goals you want to get back to doing. Typically, if you have a complete tear of your ACL, it will require surgery as well as if you are a young athlete that wants to return to playing sports or staying active.
What is the difference between a tear and sprain?
When you tear your ACL, the ligament is torn whereas if you sprain it, it is overstretched (but not torn). When you injure this ligament, it is typically diagnosed with a grade 1-3 injury. Grade 1 and 2 typically means the ligament has sustained minor to moderate tearing, but the ligament has remained intact and can still perform its function. A grade 3 injury typically means that the ligament is partially or fully torn and can no longer perform its job function.
When can I get back to play after an ACL injury?
Returning to play after an ACL injury will depend on how severe the injury is as well as how well you handle surgery if it was required. Returning to play after an ACL repair or reconstruction varies, but typically you an expect 9-12 months before you can return to cutting and higher-level activities again. It can take up to one full year for full healing with emphasis on strengthening.
Who is more likely to tear their ACL?
Females are more likely to tear their ACL due to their body compositions. Women generally have a wider pelvis, which means the thigh bones angle different than men which puts more pressure on the inside of the knee causing an increase of risk of injury.
How long is a tear recovery?
Full recovery for most surgeries is about a year. Now, before you freak out that does not mean you won’t be able to do anything for a full year. Typically you can plan to get back into some sort of recreational activities within 9 months as long as you are diligent with your home exercise program and are serious about getting healthy and recover again.
If you have an ACL injury, just had surgery or are just having some aches and pains don’t wait to get seen until it’s too late. Come to LSTC to get seen by our highly trained physical therapists and athletic trainers today!
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