An ACL injury refers to a sprain or tear of the area of the anterior cruciate ligament. These are one of the strong tissue bands that work to connect your thigh bone to your shinbone. An ACL injury can develop during certain sports.
These sports involve alterations in direction, sudden stops, landing, and jumping. Examples of such sports are downhill skiing, soccer, football, and basketball. Many people may hear a sensation of popping in their knee area. They can even hear a pop when an injury of ACL occurs.
After the injury, your knee may become unstable, swell, and cause pain. People with ACL feel difficulty in bearing weight. Treatment includes rehabilitation exercises and rest. It is associated with the causes of injury. Treatment helps you to regain stability and strength.
Your doctor can recommend surgery in order to replace your torn ligament. Attend proper training programs if you participate in different sports that can cause an ACL injury. These training programs help you to decrease the risk of having an ACL injury.
Symptoms
People with ACL injury may have rapid swelling, loss of motion, a feeling of having instability, and a sensation of loud pop in the area of the knee. You may also feel severe pain and be problems bearing weight if you have an ACL injury.
If any injury to the area of your knee is creating symptoms of an ACL injury, seek immediate medical care. Your knee joint is composed of complex bone structures including tendons, bones, ligaments, and certain other tissues. These tissue work together.
It is necessary to make get an accurate diagnosis if you want to get information about the severity of your injury. Get regular treatment properly in order to get rid of this issue.
Causes
Ligaments refer to strong bands consisting of tissues that work to connect one bone to another. ACL is one ligament of two that work to connect the thighbone to the shinbone. It helps to make your knee joint stabilized. People often get ACL injuries during activities related to fitness.
You can also develop the problem of ACL injuries during sports that put weight or pressure on the area of your knee. A sudden change of direction and slowing down can also cause ACL injuries. You can also get these injuries when you suddenly stop or land for a jump awkwardly.
People who have collisions or get a direct blow to the area of their knee like a football tackle can develop ACL injuries. A complete or partial tear of the tissue occurs when the ligament becomes damaged. A mild injury can stretch the ligament. It leaves the ligament intact.
Risk Factors
There are some risk factors that enhance your vulnerability to developing an ACL injury. These risk factors are given below.
- Being A Woman: It is possible that females have higher chances to develop ACL injuries due to changes in hormones, muscle strength, and anatomy.
- Sports: If you take part in certain sports like basketball, downhill skiing, football, and soccer, you are at risk of developing ACL injuries.
- Poor conditioning can also cause such injuries.
- Usually, movement patterns that are faulty like moving your knee in an inward direction can make you vulnerable to developing ACL injuries.
- If you use sports equipment that is poorly maintained like if ski bindings are not properly adjusted, you can get the problem of ACL injuries.
Complications
People who are going through an ACL injury are at risk of developing knee osteoarthritis. You can get arthritis even if you have gone through surgery for the purpose of reconstructing your ligament.Â
There are multiple factors that can enhance the risk of getting arthritis the such as the severity of your original injury. If you have associated injuries in the area of the knee joint, you can develop complications. After treatment, a certain level of activity can enhance the severity of your symptoms.
Prevention
Proper exercises and training can prove helpful for you in decreasing the risk of getting ACL injuries. A physical therapist, sports medicine physician, any athletic trainer, or other specialists in sports medicine can diagnose you, give you instructions and feedback on your condition.
They help you to decrease the risks of getting injuries. But if you are getting severe symptoms, consult your doctor to get the correct diagnosis. He or she might help you to take proper treatment for it.