ACL Injury Surgery
ACL – What is it? How does it get torn/injured? Surgeries to fix it?
Also known as the anterior cruciate ligament, the ACL is a ligament that helps stabilize knee movement. It is one of four such ligaments, and its main purpose is to enable the knee to flex and bend as the body’s position demands. Together with the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), the ACL forms an “X” along the inside portion of the knee joint. This, in turn, serves to keep the knee from buckling from back to front and front to back. The PCL and the ACL together function to control the knee joint’s ability to move backwards and forward, in other words, and it also provides rotational stability.
How does the ACL get torn/injured?
There are three main categories of ACL injuries, and they are ordered by level of severity. The first category contains injuries referred to as “grade one sprains”. As the name suggests, these are sprains that are mild in nature. That means that while the ligament has been stretched, it still functions and is able to help the knee maintain stability.
The next category of injuries includes “grade two sprains”. These are injuries that are a bit more serious than grade one sprains. In fact, these injuries are often referred to as a “partial tear” because the ligament has been stretched to the point where it is no longer function and has become loose. Finally, grade three sprains are more commonly known as “complete tears” of the ligament. This ACL injury occurs when the ligament itself has been completely split into pieces. At this point, the knee joint is unusable.
The ACL can be damaged in variety of ways. Stopping movement suddenly is a common cause of torn or sprained ligaments, as is changing the direction of movement quickly. Collision or other direct contact, such as that caused by a football tackle, is another common cause of ACL injury. Research suggests that female athletes are more prone to ACL injuries when they train in certain sports, however both genders can end up with tears or sprain.
Surgeries to Fix ACL Injuries
It is important to note that majority of ACL tears are unable to be sutured back together. That means that in order to repair it surgically, the ligament itself must be reconstructed. This is often done using a tissue graft that serves as a scaffold of sorts to support the new ligament as it grows. The surgical process is often done using an arthroscope as this is the less invasive option and can minimize trauma to the area as well as reduce overall recovery time.
After the surgery itself has been completed, patients will face a long road to complete rehabilitation. This includes physical therapy courses to help them regain motion and strength in their knee. Note that the ACL does not grow particularly quickly, and it could be six months – and, in some cases, even more – before athletes are able to return to their sport.