ACL: Anterior Cruciate Trauma

An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is the overstretching or tearing of the in the knee. This muscle is located just below the knee bone and the tear that occurs may be partial or complete. When you hear your ACL pop that’s a clear sign of a tear. Lots of people have surgery to get it repaired. It is about a year recovery of rehab. Many times when you tear your ACL, there’s no

When an ACL is torn there is usually a whip-like snap of the lower extremity that can be observed as the ACL tears (Ireland, 1999, p.152). In visualizing this high-risk ”position of no return,” we comprehend the importance of a “get-down” knee-flexed, 2-footed balanced position (Ireland, 1999). In the no-return position, the hip abductors and extensors have shut down, and the pelvis and hip are uncontrolled.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the most common knee injuries in female sports today. The ACL is a ligament that attaches the femur and tibia to the knee allowing the knee to bend while still being stable and supporting the whole body. Dr. Russel F. Warren, a physician for the New York Giants football team, explains, “The ACL prevents the shin bone (tibia) from moving too far forward on the thigh bone (femur) and keeps the knee from twisting inward excessively.” When athletes tear their ACL there is a greater chance that they have hurt or another ligament in their knee such as the LCL, MCL or Meniscus; which is cartilage that absorbs shock from the body’s pressure (MedlinePlus). The ACL is strong, but one wrong move could result

There are different techniques that repair a torn ACL. The popular method for surgeons is the patellar tendon graft procedure. This type of ACL replacement uses the middle third of the person’s own patellar tendon and replacing the damage tendon with it. The advantages are that the fixation is very strong and the patellar tendon replacing

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament, also known as the ACL, plays an important role in the stabilization of the knee. The ACL connects the femur to the tibia. The ACL passes, in a diagonal, from the outer area of the femur to the inner area of the tibia. The main function of the ACL is to restrain forward movement and the inner rotation of the bottom half of the leg, as well as prevent hyperextension of the knee (Schwager, 2009).

When someone tears their ACL, their first thought goes to getting ACL surgery, or ACLR. However, there are non-surgical treatments for special populations. Those populations are young children and older individuals. Additionally, there are alternatives to ACLR.

Injuries occur everyday is the sport’s world; they range anywhere from a sprained ankle to paralysis. In many sports, such as volleyball or basketball, the injuries that occur usually happen to the lower half of the body. Over the years, certain injuries have become more common, such as ACL injuries. A torn ACL is not only one of the most common seen injuries in the sports world, but it is also very easy to diagnose; however, it is a long road back to recovery.

With an ever increasing number of people becoming involved with athletic activities, there is an increasing number of injuries occurring which can be devastating for the individual. Most of the injuries that affect athletes occur in one of four structures in the human body: bones, muscles, tendons, or ligaments. Because ligaments attach bone to bone and play a major part in providing stability for joints, the major stabilizing ligament in the knee, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), assists in performing everyday actions of the human body including sitting, standing, walking, running, dancing, and participating in other sports. The injury that specifically affects this ligament is very serious and always

One can say that an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear, is an athlete’s worst nightmare. The ACL is one of four major ligaments that stabilizes and supports the knee. Its main function is to prevent anterior movement of the tibia off of the femur along with hyperextension. The ACL injury occurs from overstretching the ligament often caused by a sudden change in direction, awkward landing from a jump, sudden deceleration, or even a direct collision (3). More importantly, three out of four ACL injuries occur from non-contact instances (2). During the onset of the injury, a distinct popping noise can be heard with an instantaneous sharp pain causing the athlete to fall to the ground. It is the most common type of injury in the knee in the

The ACL is part of a cruciate ligament that lies inside the knee joint and attaches the front of the tibia with the back of the femur. It is made up of strong fibres (collagen) that act like the strands of a rope or cable and this enables the ligament to prevent knee hyperextension, limit excessive tibial rotation, resist excessive anterior translation of the tibia on the femur as well as varus and valgus forces. In the Northstar web page it is stated that, “The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the most important ligaments to

There are several different kinds of "common" injuries such as a broken leg, rolled ankle, or a sprained knee. The one I will be researching and describing is the ACL injury. Which is one of the most common sports injuries? As Medical Definition states, "The ACL is a ligament in the knee that crosses from the underside of the femur (the thigh bone) to the top of the tibia (the bigger bone in the lower leg)." In essence, the ACL is a vital part of an athlete 's lateral lower body movement which is crucial in any sport where an athlete or a person moves their legs. Therefore players who participate in any kind of activity that involves moving their lower body need their ACL to function in their activity, or just to even

Many athletes do not realize how important the anterior cruciate ligament is and the roll it plays in their bodies. The rope-like ACL, just over an inch long, stabilizes the knee during pivoting and twisting movements (Swift). The ACL is cruel not just because it breaks so often, but because unlike most ligaments, it does not heal (Swift). Ligaments have a bone-to-bone connection, and the two bones that the anterior cruciate ligament connects are known as the femur and tibia. The ACL is located behind the patella, otherwise known as the kneecap, and above the tibia (shinbone)

ACL injuries used to be seen as career ending injuries 50 years ago, however, throughout the years with the advancement in technology aiding treatment and rehabilitation procedures. Yet they are still sever and take months to recover. This is because of the precise location of the ligament within the knee joint. Resulting in no blood clot formation within the joint as a consequence scar tissue will not form and the tissue will just be filled with uncontrolled blood leading to swelling an pain within the joint (ACL reconstruction Oxford university hospital, 2017) which is why it takes between 9 to 12 months for recovery. With an ACL injury, other injuries often follow, namely MCL injuries and meniscal lesions which in time would likely lead to the patient contracting osteoarthritis due to it being a degenerative disorder consequently resulting from the meniscal and

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament also known as the ACL is deemed the most commonly torn ligament in the knee and can result from both contact and noncontact injuries. Most Anterior Cruciate Ligament injuries result from an extreme force on the lateral side of the person’s knee causing a valgus force which pushes the knee inward (Kisner & Colby, 2012, pp. 802-803). This injury to the side of the knee can also cause a “Terrible Triad” injury which also injures both the medial meniscus and the medial collateral ligament (Kisner & Colby, 2012, p. 803). Our textbook further states that “the most common noncontact mechanism is a rotational mechanism in which the tibia is externally rotated on the planted foot….this mechanism can account for as many as 78% of all ACL injuries” (Kisner & Colby, 2012, p. 803). If the person does not seek medical help with this injury they are susceptible to also injuring the remaining support ligaments as well. Patients usually present with joint effusion; possibly 25 degrees of flexion, joint swelling if blood vessels are involved, limited ROM, stress pain and instability along with quads avoidance gait patterns (Kisner & Colby, 2011, p. 208)

A torn ACL is one of the most serious and common knee injuries. Many aspects play a role in the treatment and rehabilitation of this injury. This paper will discuss the anatomy of the knee, describe a torn ACL, and the rehabilitation.