An Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) sprain or tear is one of the most common knee injuries. Athletes who participate in high-demand sports, such as soccer, football, and basketball, are at a higher risk of sustaining this type of injury.

If you have sustained an ACL injury, the need for reconstruction surgery will depend on various factors, including the severity of the injury and your level of physical activity.

Anatomy Of The Anterior Cruciate Ligament

The knee joint is formed by the meeting of three bones: the thighbone (femur), shinbone (tibia), and kneecap (patella). The kneecap sits in front of the joint to provide added protection.

Connecting these bones are ligaments, which act as strong ropes to hold the bones together and maintain stability in the knee.

Collateral Ligaments

• These are found on the sides of your knee. The medial collateral ligament is on the inside and the lateral collateral ligament is on the outside. They control the sideways motion of your knee and brace it against unusual movement.

Cruciate Ligaments

• These are found inside your knee joint. They cross each other to form an "X" with the anterior cruciate ligament in front and the posterior cruciate ligament in back. The cruciate ligaments control the back and forth motion of your knee.

  The anterior cruciate ligament runs diagonally in the middle of the knee. It prevents the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, as well as provides rotational stability to the knee.

Different Types of Ligament Sprains

About half of all injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) occur along with damage to other structures in the knee, such as articular cartilage, meniscus, or other ligaments. Injuries to the ACL are considered "sprains" and are graded on a severity scale.

Grade 1 Sprains - It involve a mild damage to the ligament, where it has been slightly stretched but is still able to help keep the knee joint stable.

Grade 2 Sprains - Grade 2 sprains stretches the ligament to the point where it becomes loose, which is often referred to as a partial tear of the ligament..

Grade 3 Sprains - This is most commonly referred to as a complete tear of the ligament, where the ligament has been split into two pieces, and the knee joint is unstable.

It should be noted that partial tears of the ACL are rare; most ACL injuries are complete or near complete tears.

Symptoms And Causes Of ACL Injuries

Check out the most common symptoms and causes:

Common Symptoms of ACL Tears

When you injure your anterior cruciate ligament, you might hear a "popping" noise and you may feel your knee give out from under you. Other typical symptoms include:

• Pain with swelling. Within 24 hours, your knee will swell. If ignored, the swelling and pain may resolve on its own. However, if you attempt to return to sports, your knee will probably be unstable and you risk causing further damage to the cushioning cartilage (meniscus) of your knee.

• Loss of full range of motion

• Tenderness along the joint line

• Discomfort while walking

• Feeling of instability in the Knee

Causes of ACL Injuries

The anterior cruciate ligament can be injured in several ways:

• Changing direction rapidly

• Stopping suddenly

• Slowing down while running

• Landing from a jump incorrectly

• Direct contact or collision, such as a football tackle

Multiple studies have revealed that female athletes have a higher incidence of ACL injuries compared to their male counterparts in certain sports. This discrepancy is believed to be a result of variations in physical conditioning, muscular strength, and neuromuscular control. Additional factors proposed as causes include differences in pelvis and lower extremity alignment, increased ligament laxity, and the influence of estrogen on ligament properties.

Doctor Examination Knee Ligament Surgery

Physical Examination and Patient History

• During your first visit, your orthopedic surgeon will talk to you about your symptoms and medical history.

• During the physical examination, your doctor will check all the structures of your injured knee, and compare them to your non-injured knee. Most knee ligament surgery can can be diagnosed with a thorough physical examination of the knee.

Imaging Tests

Other tests which may help your doctor confirm your diagnosis include:

• X-rays. Although they will not show any injury to your anterior cruciate ligament, x-rays can show whether the injury is associated with a broken bone.

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. This study creates better images of soft tissues like the anterior cruciate ligament. However, an MRI is usually not required to make the diagnosis of a torn ACL.

ACL Treatment

ACL Tear Surgery will vary depending upon the patient's individual needs. For example, the young athlete involved in agility sports will most likely require surgery to safely return to sports. The less active, usually older, individual may be able to return to a quieter lifestyle without surgery.

Imaging Tests

• A torn ACL will not heal without surgery. But nonsurgical treatment may be effective for patients who are elderly or have a very low activity level. If the overall stability of the knee is intact, your doctor may recommend simple, nonsurgical options.

• Bracing - Your acl tear surgeon may recommend a brace to protect your knee from instability. To further protect your knee, you may be given crutches to keep you from putting weight on your leg.

• Physical therapy - As the swelling goes down, a careful rehabilitation program is started. Specific exercises will restore function to your knee and strengthen the leg muscles that support it.

Surgical Treatment

• Rebuilding the ligament - Most ACL tears cannot be sutured (stitched) back together. To surgically repair the ACL and restore knee stability, the ligament must be reconstructed. Your doctor will replace your torn ligament with a tissue graft. This graft acts as a scaffolding for a new ligament to grow on.

• There are advantages and disadvantages to all graft sources. You should discuss graft choices with your own orthopaedic surgeon to help determine which is best for you.

• Because the regrowth takes time, it may be six months or more before an athlete can return to sports after surgery.

• Procedure - Surgery to rebuild an anterior cruciate ligament is done with an arthroscope using small incisions. Arthroscopic surgery is less invasive. The benefits of less invasive techniques include less pain from surgery, less time spent in the hospital, and quicker recovery times.

Unless ACL reconstruction is treatment for a combined ligament injury, it is usually not done right away. This delay gives the inflammation a chance to resolve, and allows a return of motion before surgery. Performing an ACL reconstruction too early greatly increases the risk of arthrofibrosis, or scar forming in the joint, which would risk a loss of knee motion.

Rehabilitation After ACL Ligament Surgery

Whether your treatment involves surgery or not, rehabilitation plays a vital role in getting you back to your daily activities. A physical therapy program will help you regain knee strength and motion.

If you have surgery, physical therapy first focuses on returning motion to the joint and surrounding muscles. This is followed by a strengthening program designed to protect the new ligament. This strengthening gradually increases the stress across the ligament. The final phase of rehabilitation is aimed at a functional return tailored for the athlete's sport.

Recovery After ACL Ligament Surgery

After ACL ligament surgery, you will stay in the recovery room for 1 to 2 hours before being transfer to ward. Usually you are discharged next day to your home you can also expect to be on crutches, or a walker, for some period of time.

ACL Reconstruction Surgery at Aastha Joints

Aastha Joints Clinic is one of the most popular ACL Reconstruction treatment hospital in Surat, Gujarat. Consult Aastha Joints today to book an appointment with top ortho doctor in Surat.