In November of 2010, I was playing basketball in the fifth game of my senior season. It was just like any other game. However, I would soon find out otherwise. It was late in the game; I drove into the lane and got fouled hard. I was knocked so off-balance that I speared the floor with my knee. As soon as my knee hit the floor I heard a “snap” that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Little did I know at the time, that would be the last shot of my high school basketball career. Not long after my injury, I consulted a doctor. After getting an x-ray and an MRI, the doctor informed me that I had completely torn my ACL and would need to have surgery. An ACL tear can be a very devastating injury. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the four major ligaments within the knee. The ACL is one of the most commonly injured ligaments, injured by an estimated 200,000 patients each year. Of the 200,000 annual ACL injuries, surgery is performed in approximately 100,000 cases. There are many types of reconstructive surgery on the ACL. However, there is an alternative to surgery in the form of physical therapy. To understand the importance of the ACL, the knee as a whole must be examined. The knee is formed by the femur, the tibia, and the patella. Several muscles and ligaments control the motion of the knee and protect it from damage at the same time. Ligaments are dense structures of connective tissue that fasten bone to bone and stabilize the knee. Two ligaments on either side of the knee, called the medial and lateral collateral ligaments, stabilize the knee from side-to-side. The ACL along with the posterior cruciate ligament are of a pair of ligaments in the center of the knee joint that form a cross. T... ... middle of paper ... ...ograft. If the graft comes from someone who has died, it is called an allograft. Doctors have tried using some types of synthetic grafts but so far these have not worked well. Research is being done to see if there are better types of grafts that can be used. Your healthcare provider will discuss the options with you and will help you decide which procedure is best for you. Works Cited http://ehealthmd.com/library/acltears/acl_whatis.html http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=5&hid=13&sid=87c4cd0d-b04e-4d32-9a16-c9f8ac841bed%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=mih&AN=42739412 http://www.sportsmedicineclinicdelhi.com/knee_ligament_injury.htm http://www.medsolution.com/content/surgery_orthopedic-antcruclig.asp http://ehealthmd.com/library/acltears/ACL_causes.html http://ehealthmd.com/library/acltears/ACL_diagnosis.html
The most common knee injury in sports is damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) through tears or sprains. “They occur in high demand sports that involve planting and cutting, jumping with a poor landing, and stopping immediately or changing directions” (University of Colorado Hospital). The ACL is a ligament that runs diagonally in the middle of the knee and found at the front of the patellar bone. Its function involves controlling the back and forth motion of the knee, preventing the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, and providing rational stability to the knee. Interestingly, women are more prone to ACL injuries than men. The occurrence is four to six times greater in female athletes.
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) attaches the femur, which is the thighbone, and the tibia, which is the shin, together (northstar). A torn ACL is one of the most excruciating experiences in an athlete’s life. It is the first thing that comes to mind when they hurt their knee on the field; for many it is their greatest fear. A torn ACL can sometimes mean the end of an athlete’s career. It can mean losing the chance to get that scholarship for young athletes, and it can also mean the end of those million dollar paychecks for those who have gone professional. A torn ACL can result in numerous surgeries, months of vigorous exercise and rehabilitation, and a sufficient amount of pain. It requires complete patience, for pushing too hard can result in further, more painful injury. Even after all that, an athlete is not guaranteed he or she will ever be able to play sports again.
Also, in the defense of surgery, health insurance would be another aspect to view. Insurance would cover most of the cost, and later injuries could cripple you without surgery. In that dilemma, selecting the possibly more expensive treatment is more suitable.
The anterior cruciate ligament, also known as the ACL, is one of the four main ligaments within the knee that connect the femur to the tibia. It is also common to tear the ACL if one plays a sport. When one tears it, they hear or feel a pop, on might also feel that their knee just gave out. The knee will begin to swell up and be too painful to continue any sport or activity they were playing. The ACL is a ligament so when someone tears it, the ligament may no longer be attached to the bone. So the bones in your knee will move abnormally and start buckling.
“Doc, I fell and twisted my knee. I heard a pop. It hurt briefly. When I stood up, the knee felt as if it was not underneath me, and the knee gave way. It swelled up by the next day and ever since feels as though it would pop out when I twist or even cross the street quickly.” In almost all cases the above complaints occur due to an injury to the ACL (Anterior Crucial Ligament) of the knee. The ACL is a very important ligament in the knee that controls the pivoting motion of the knee. This joint guides the femur and tibia through a regular range of motion. It is the most common and serious of injury sustained to the knee (Duffy, f9). How this injury happens, who is most susceptible, and how it is treated are a few questions athletes are becoming heavily concerned with.
When an athlete catches the sound of their knee crack and pop, they better prepare themselves for a long journey. The Center for Injury and Policy (CIRP), from Science Daily, reports that, “Knees are the most accident prone part of the body in high school athletes.” Knee injuries are very common; in fact, they are responsible for 45% of the injuries that occur in high school athletics across America. Knee injuries are well known to not just those in the medical field, but also to athletes. Injuries to the knee are caused by many factors, and what happens after the injury has taken place is what’s most concerning (Science Daily).
Full recovery from an ACL graft is a long and strenuous process. Less than half of athletes who undergo an ACL repair surgery are able to return to sporting activities within the first year dependent on a variety of factors like age, fitness level, nutrition, and overall health, but the most important factor is compliance to therapy (CITE??). Grant conducted a literary review of rehabilitation techniques after an ACL injury. He found that athletes who participated in home based rehabilitation were the least successful as compliance tended to be low. This suggests that individuals who have access to appropriate facilities and guidance may have more successful outcomes. In addition, Grant found that educational videos about pre and post-operative
As the soccer ball was rolling out of bounds, I felt my opponent right on my back. In that moment, I would not have guessed that the next year would drastically change seconds later. My leg gave out as I heard a heart breaking pop and fell to the ground. Over 250,000 Americans tear their Anterior Cruciate Ligaments (ACL) each year, myself included. Female athletes are eight times more susceptible to tear their ACL as a result of physiological and anatomic differences. Building up specific muscles around the knee can diminish the amount of strain on the knee. Therefore, female athletes should participate in strength programs to target reducing the risk of a life changing injury.
A 16-year-old, female high school soccer player, Lindsey Robinson, tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a soccer game. Interestingly, she was not the only one in her team who injured her ACL, but several of her teammates have torn the same ligament as well during the soccer season. Lephart (2002) found that women involved in physical activity are more susceptible to acquiring the ACL injuries than men who are involved in the same physical activity (as cited in Ogden, 2002). According to “ACL Injury Prevention” (2004), the numbers of female ACL ruptures have increased for the past ten years. Over 1.4 million women have suffered from the ACL rupture, which is twice the rate of the previous decade.
In the world of athletics there are numerous injuries an athlete may face in their participation in athletic activities. Injuries can hinder an athlete’s participation in practices or games. For example, there are sprained ankles, pulled hamstrings, broken backs, concussions, and foot injuries can prevent an athlete from competing. While all of these injuries and the areas they are located in can greatly affect an athlete’s ability to participate in athletic activity, there is one area of the body that stand out greater than the rest. This area is an injury to the knee. Knee injuries are devastating to an athlete’s participation. Some knee injuries depending on the severity of the injury, can keep an athlete out of participation from their
Initially I was making an educated guess because not only did I land on my knee, I was in excruciating pain. But once the MRI results came in, my educated guess turned into the most damaging news I’ve ever received, a torn ACL. I never thought I would hear that. A torn ACL. I’ve always thought ACL tears happened in the major league. Not to a fourteen year old kid whose only dream
Despite the risk factors for ACL injuries still being unclear, injury prevention programs have been created for soccer players as well as athletes in other sports. Multiple studies have been created to show how effective these prevention programs are. The programs can be placed in categories such as balance training, plyometric training, long-duration neuromuscular training, or short-duration warm-up programs.
Petersen W, Taheri, P, Forkel, P, Zantop T. Return to play following ACL reconstruction: a systematic review about strength deficits. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2014; 134:1417-1428. doi:10.1007/s00402-014-1992-x.
In December of 2014, my brother partially tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament playing indoor soccer. He went through several weeks of physical therapy to regain strength in his knee. One week after he was released by his doctor he attended a soccer clinic for his school's team. One hour into the clinic, he fell to the ground again. He was in a lot of pain and knew something had happened. The next day, he went back to his orthopedic doctor. That day he found out he had completely torn his ACL. Two weeks later he went back for a re-examination to figure out what steps would come next. The doctor decided to do surgery within the next couple of weeks. On April 1, 2015 he had his reconstruction surgery. He is now doing more physical therapy. The healing process started off very difficult, but it has gotten much better with time. He is now walking without any crutches and only wearing his brace when he is on his leg for long periods of time. I have also included some pictures the doctor gave us from the surgery.
Never did I think the day of March 24, 2015, would change my life forever. It was a breezy Tuesday when the leaves were turning back green, and our cold Mississippi winter was finally transforming into spring. Today was just another day for me, a trip to Pride Athletics (my cheer gym) to prepare myself for Mississippi State cheer tryouts, whose date was just a mere two weeks away. Soon into my casual tumbling private, I landed a tumbling pass wrong, and I immediately dropped. My mind was spinning, trying to convince myself this could not happen to me, for I am too close to cheer tryouts. My thoughts were silenced when Coach Ashley came up to me and spoke words I will never forget, “You just tore your ACL.” I was devastated.