Background
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a strong rope-like structure that runs through the center of the knee connecting the femur to the tibia. An ACL prevents the femur from moving anteriorly while weight bearing, helps prevent rotation of the joint and is the primary stabilizing structure of the knee and its integrity is essential for walking and any physical activities (Sports Medicine Australia, 2015). An ACL sprain or tear is one of the most common knee injuries, especially among athletes who engage in high demanding sports including football, soccer and basketball. This is the case as this type of injury is likely to occur when; turning/twisting rapidly, stopping suddenly, landing awkwardly when jumping, slowing down
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When the ACL tears, it cannot heal on its own and surgery is necessary for the knee to return to its normal function. It is common that other structures in the knee will be affected alongside an ACL injury such as the meniscus, other ligaments in the knee or the articular cartilage which would also need addressing during the surgical procedure (Parker, 2014).
There are tests designed to diagnose ACL tears including the Lachman Test which involves the therapist stabilizing the femur while the knee is flexed, and applying a posteroanterior pull on the tibia along the plane of the joint (Petty, 2011). This paper will discuss the Lachman’s test, how it is applied clinically and the relevance and reliability of the technique itself. John W. Lachman, chairman and professor of orthopedic surgery at Temple University, founded the Lachman Test (Torg, Conrad, & Kalen, 2012).
Assessment
Method
The patient lies supine with the leg to be tested, beside the examiner. The examiner holds the patient’s knee between full extension and 30 degrees of flexion. The patient’s femur is stabilised with one of the examiner’s hands while the proximal aspect of the tibia is moved posterioranteriorly (forward) with the other hand. (Magee, 2008 p. 768) There are also a number of commonly used modifications to the above technique. The examiner should select the method which they find most effective. These include;
1. Patient sits with their legs over the edge of the plinth. The
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
An ACL tear is among the most common knee injury reported. This injury involves a breakage of the fibers making up the ACL. Sometimes, the entire Anterior Cruciate Ligament is torn; whereas, other times it is just partially torn.
ACL tears. Immediately to this injury first aid, involving the PRICE theory is vital this should be in place for 72hours. This is protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation. It is important its protected as the torn ligament does not want to receive any more damage, keeping this in a fixed position of no pain is the best surrounded by things soft like pillows when sleeping and crutches throughout the day. The ice will be very effective in reducing swelling and this is important as fluid and swelling around the torn ligament is not what you want, keeping it elevated will allow oxidised blood to reach it.
Each year, approximately a quarter of a million physically active young people experience an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and seventy percent of these ACL injuries will be sustained while engaging in non-contact activities such as sudden deceleration while landing (Begalle et al., 2012). This type of injury is grossly detrimental not only on the occasion in which it occurs but also for the subsequent years to come. The majority of individuals who injure their ACL also go on to either, re-injure that same ACL, or injure the opposite knee. Furthermore, our bodies are put in tremendously vulnerable planes of motion during sporting events, especially during activities such as, basketball, football, or soccer. In this day
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
Second of all, surgery isn’t for everyone, especially for kids who haven’t finished growing. Surgery that is done on adults is the same done on teens. Orthopedic surgeons say that fixing an ACL tear involves the growth plate. I know this because in paragraph 5 it states, “Orthopedic surgeon
Whenever an athlete participates in a sport, whether it be practice or a meet/game, they run the risk of injuring themselves. When it comes to basketball, Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are common. ACL tears are more likely to occur in female basketball players as opposed to males. In basketball, speed, strength, and power are the most important physical qualities to develop. Sometimes an athlete may be lacking in certain areas which puts them at a greater risk for tearing their ACL.
Recovering from a serious knee injury and returning to pre-injury levels can be a difficult task to overcome, but it has been proven possible to do this. Improper injury protocols and the injuries themselves are two of the largest factors in professional athletes not having elongated and successful careers. ACL, MCL, PCL, LCL, and Patellar Tendonitis are the most common knee injuries in which athletes sustain. Sustaining a knee injury at the highest and most competitive levels of basketball can make the injury and recovery process much more difficult and stressful, however. Depending on the injury, it can take a very extended amount of time for the knee to return back to its normal functioning, especially since damaging one part of the knee does not come without other injuries. A permanent and career ending injury may be the result if the proper percussions are not taken throughout the recovery process.
An injury to the ACL is classified as a sprain. A sprain is a joint injury that causes a stretch or a tear in a ligament. Sprains are graded I, II, or III depending on how severe the injury is. A grade I sprain will have pain with minimal damage to the ligaments. A grade II sprain is going to have more ligament damage and mild looseness of the joint. Finally, in a grade III sprain, the ligament is completely torn and the joint is very loose or unstable. A grade III sprain, simply called an ACL tear, is most often a sports-related injury. Still, The ACL can be torn in other instances such as during rough play, vehicular collisions, falls, and work –related injuries. According to a study performed by Jonathan Cluett, M.D., about 80% of sports-related ACL tears are “non-contact” injuries. This means that the injury does not result from any contact with another athlete. A rupture to the ACL is the result of the ligament within the knee being overstretched. This is usually caused by a “plant-pivot” mechanism (a stop and twist motion) of the knee, or a blunt force to the front of the knee. Other factors include quick changes of motion, twisting or torquing, or landing from a jump. Hyperextension is most
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
In the sports world the word ACL brings absolute horror and cringe with it. That’s because when an ACL tears it can be one of the most painful experiences an athlete can have, especially with the surgeries and recovery it brings with it. Along with that, the ACL is in the deep part of the middle of the knee, so most of the time when you damage your ACL you most likely have damaged something else. Women especially have to worry about the overall health of their knees as they have a 4.8% greater chance of tearing their ACL than men (Musgrave). ACL tears are one of the worst injuries in the sports world and in order to recover to full health it takes time, patience, and a hard-work ethic.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) has limited range of motion, which leads to it being the most frequently injured ligament singularly (Ireland, 1999). This study was conducted to present the epidemiology on ACL injuries in female athletes (Ireland, 1999). Epidemiology is the part of science that focuses on the causes, effects, and patterns of disease and health conditions that occur in specific populations. The epidemiology in this article focuses on female athletes that have had a noncontact ACL injury playing either basketball or soccer (Ireland, 1999).
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
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)