Everything You Must Know About ACL!

ACL Injury (meniscal injury) means torn in one of the important ligament of knee joint, joining the upper leg bone and the lower leg bone, eventually tearing and trapping the cushion pads supporting the knee joints. These injuries usually occur during sports activities, like soccer, basketball, football, gymnastics, tennis, volleyball, etc.

An untreated ACL injury can lead to a condition called an ACL deficiency. This can cause a lot of problems with regard to knee movements as the bones may rub against each other, causing a lot of pain. In some cases, the cartilage covering the ends of the bones may get damaged, eventually tearing and trapping the cushion pads supporting the knee joints.

Symptoms-

Signs and symptoms of the anterior cruciate ligament may include:
1. You are unable to move properly.
2. You experience immense pain while walking up and down stairs.
3. You are unable to engage much in physical activities.
4. Your knee begins to swell gradually.
5. You can sense a loud popping sensation when moving your knee.
6. You experience feelings of instability in running, climbing stairs, waking fast or walking on uneven surface (feel like sudden unlocking of knee joint).

Causes-
Anterior cruciate ligament injuries generally occur during sports. Here are some common possible instances that might happen during a game:
1. Sudden arrest in motion
2. An unsteady landing from a jump
3. Direct blows to the knee from tackles
4. Sudden shifts in direction

Treatment-
Treatment of ACL injuries normally involves the following:

1. Immediate medical attention along with intense first aid care

2. Sincere adherence to the R.I.C.E model of self-care -

• Rest: proper rest for a couple of weeks or months depending upon the severity of the injury
• Ice: using ice packs to help cool the nerves
• Compression: ice treatment further helps in compression
• Elevation: when lying down in bed, it is strongly recommended that you keep your affected leg at a slightly higher position, through the use of pillows or cushions

3. Success rehabilitative therapy for several weeks

4. Anterior cruciate ligament surgery or reconstruction - In case of complete ACL tear or tear involving more then 50 of ACL fibres and also showing major laxity in knee joint on clinical examination, this procedure is followed.