ACL stands for Anterior cruciate ligament.The ACL is the most important and most vulnerable to knee-related injury. Most ACL tears occur during sports.
When anyone suffers from a torn ACL, most people tend to ask “can you walk with a torn ACL “. Fortunately, yes anybody can walk with a torn ACL, but before taking this decision should consider his intensity of pain and should also take permission from the doctor after complete analysis. But during recovery, he should try to avoid twisting and recurring movements but should also walk slowly.
To recover quickly from an ACL injury, you may need to see a health care provider, as recovery can take about six to nine months. He will provide you with proper treatment for a speedy recovery. The doctor may ask you to go for surgery.
Symptoms Associated with ACL
The most common ACL symptoms are:
- Hearing or feeling a cracking sound in knees
- Visible swelling
- Weakness in legs
- Inability to move legs
Types of ACL Tears
Doctors normally grade ACL ligament tear according to intensity of pain and normally consider ligament damage as a “sprain,
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Grade 1
Mild damage to ligament is named as Grade 1 Sprain. Normally, it is stretched slightly but it can easily come to its original shape.
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Grade 2
In Grade 2 Sprain ligaments become so stretched that they lose their flexibility and knees get badly affected to move. This is considered as a partial ACL tear.
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Grade 3
Grade 3 Sprains are prevalent then Grade 2 Sprain. Because partial tears occur rarely. In this condition, the ligament splits into two pieces and it is no longer able to stabilize the knee.
What Causes Acl Tears?
Most athletes are likely to suffer from ACL tears during sports, as they have to put more stress on knees. ACL can only be stretched in mild or normal injury but severe injury can lead to complete or partial tear of ligament.
Causes that trigger an ACL injury are
- suddenly stopping or changing the direction
- changing direction after suddenly slowing down
- Landing and jumping awkwardly
- hyperextension
- A direct blow or collision that forces the rest of your leg and your knees to move away from each other
Diagnosis of Acl Tear
First of all, the doctor will try to do a physical examination by checking your knees completely for tenderness and swelling. He will also compare your injured knee with the uninjured knee. He will also check your range of motion by moving your legs in different directions and will evaluate joint functionality.
Sometimes, a physical exam is not enough to evaluate the exact cause and proper diagnosis. For this reason, doctor may also ask you for other tests like
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Ultrasound
This test uses sound waves to see internal structures, ultrasounds may also be used to check injuries in the tendons, ligaments, and muscles of the knees.
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X-rays
X-rays may be used to find out a bone fracture. However, X-rays don’t visualize soft tissues, such as tendons or ligaments.
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Hard and soft tissues in the body can be visualized by a strong magnetic field and radio waves. MRI by using radio and magnetic waves can easily highlight the extent of damage to other tissues like cartilage and grade of ACL injury in the knee.
Prevention of ACL Tear
If you are an athlete then you are at greater risk of getting an ACL tear. During sports injuries and accidents, it is common to face it. But preventive measurements can be followed to avoid this condition. Some of them are as follows.
- Stretch and warm up before activity
- Focus on your balance.
- Have grip on athletic technique
- Try proper footwear.
- Implement strength training.
- Strengthen the muscles of your legs, feet, and ankles.
- Avoid pivoting over your knee and planting your foot. In this way, athletes commonly injure their meniscus and ACL.
- To reach things placed at the top of any shelf, never use inappropriate stools, as there are more chances of fall leading to ACL injury..
- Never stand on tables, chairs, or countertops without support.
- Try to use a walker if you feel yourself having difficulty in walking or have a high risk of falls.
Risk Factors Associated With Acl Injury
Factors that can aggravate the injuring ACL are:
- Participation in certain sports, such as soccer, gymnastics, basketball, downhill skiing and, football,
- Using artificial turf to play
- Inappropriate physical conditioning
- improper equipment like shoes
According to the pain management fort worth females are more prone to face ACL injuries than males. Differences in anatomy and strength of muscles and hormonal influences is the major cause.
Summary
As told earlier that ACL is one of the most common tears in people mostly in athletes. Depending on the severity of pain and sprain, treatment is available at a pain management clinic. Doctor after complete diagnosis by using different techniques will help you guide a proper treatment plan. After a worse injury, never try to rush to the playground to play again. Instead, try to walk slowly after proper recovery.