ACL Tears and Reconstruction

We often see of our favorite athletes getting hurt in a game and suffering from an ACL tear but do you know what it is?

The ACL, or Anterior Cruciate Ligament, is a band of connective tissue that connects the shinbone to the thigh bone inside the knee joint. In the knee, the shinbone and the thigh bone do not rotate with respect to each other. Such motion is called tibial torsion in the knee joint and the ACL resists this movement. 

Preventing these movements is critical in that involve sharp cutting and pivoting, such as while playing football, basketball, and soccer. 

The “non-contact pivoting injury” is the most common ACL injury. It occurs when the foot is planted firmly in the ground and the athlete pivots to change direction. Under the athlete's body weight, this can overload the ACL, causing a rupture.

Treatment for ACL ruptures

The terms “ACL rupture” and “ACL injury” are often used interchangeably because most of the time, ACL’s either rupture or don’t. In a few cases, the ACL is partially torn. The ACL has no self-healing capacity since it does not have access to a rich blood supply required for healing. 

An ACL rupture is not life-threatening, and some people choose to live the rest of their lives without a fully functioning ACL. Since the ACL is important for cutting and pivoting, if someone with an ACL rupture only engages in in-line activities, like running or biking, they are likely to be asymptomatic. Older adults, who don’t perform much athletic activity may choose to live simply with lifestyle and activity modification, but this is not a realistic option for most patients who wish to return to sports or an active lifestyle.

Conservative treatments for ACL tears begin with physical therapy to restore joint mobility and strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee joint. Physical therapy can be used along with an ACL brace. This will further improve the stability of the joint. 

For patients who want return to sports or maintain an active lifestyle, ACL reconstruction surgery is necessary. ACL reconstruction involves reconstructing the ligament, using the patient’s own tissue (autograft) or cadaver tissue (allograft). An autograft can a hamstring graft, or a patellar tendon graft. The quadriceps tendon graft is being used as well. The choice of graft for the patient depends on the activities they want to return to. Recovery usually requires six months, at the earliest and patients can begin to return to their sporting activities. For those at risk of re-rupture, returning without restrictions may take up to a year. However, recovery is complete with the new ACL as strong as the original, allowing patients to regain full strength and motion, in most cases. 

To learn more about orthopedic treatments, such as shoulder and knee arthritis and Achilles tendonitis treatments, call one of the best orthopedic surgeonsi n Phoenix AZ, call Phoenix Shoulder and Knee at 480-219-3342.Dr. Adam Farber is a Fellowship Trained, Board Certified Phoenix and Scottsdale orthopedic surgeon specializing in Sports Medicine.

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Created on Apr 29th 2020 07:23. Viewed 246 times.

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