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Although sports can be a fun and exciting, it also increases the chances of injuries for the players involved. With all those jumping and moving around, getting a knee injury is very common. In fact, in the United States alone, there are 100,000 to 200,000 ACL injuries– or knee injuries– every year. Understanding the injury and when to seek treatment is crucial to a successful recovery.

What is an ACL Tear?

ACL is shorthand for the anterior cruciate ligament, and it’s one of the four major ligaments that’s a part of the knee. It helps with maintaining the knee’s rotational stability. During sports, it’s easy for the ACL to be injured.

Heavy use of legs, especially with sudden twisting motion such as during soccer, skiing, and football, as well as a major impact on the legs, can all cause the ACL to be ruptured. It cannot heal on its own, so surgery is often required for an ACL tear to recover.

Symptoms and Treatment

At the moment of the injury, you might hear a popping sound. Depending on the severity of the damage, there will be different levels of pain, swelling, and knee instability. The RICE method is a helpful way to provide some immediate treatment of an ACL injury. RICE stands for this: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Please be sure to consult a sports medicine physician as soon as possible.

For surgical treatments, a graft of a tendon will be used to reconstruct the ACL. Arthroscopes will be inserted through small incisions in the knee. The surgery is as non-invasive as possible. You can expect to go home the day after the surgery with a recovery time of 6 to 9 months.

Non-surgical treatment options are also available, though they only apply to minor ACL injuries. Furthermore, the knee is more likely to be re-injured and even develop osteoarthritis after recovery because the integrity of the ACL is degraded.

There’s also bracing, which involves having a brace strapped around your knee to assist in keeping it stable. During this time, you will need to use crutches so the injured part of your knee doesn’t take too much weight.

Physical therapy is a must to prevent future injuries and to re-develop muscle movements, regardless if there’s surgery or not. Your doctor will likely prescribe anti-inflammatory medications to reduce pain and inflammation.

Reach Out to Ozark Orthopaedics
If you need assistance in recovering from a torn ACL, and getting back to the activities you love, don’t hesitate to reach out to our expert orthopaedic physicians at the Ozark Orthopaedics Sports Medicine Center. Contact us today! Call (479) 521-2752 or visit this link to request an appointment.