ACL Injury
ACL injury is what happens when one or more of the ligaments in the knee are suddenly torn or stretched. Ligaments are the tissues that hold your bones together, supporting the knee and keeping bones and the joint lined up. It is because you have ligaments that you are able to twist, turn, and walk. In the knees alone, there are four ligaments. These ligaments are commonly sprained because of either a sports- or exercise-related injury. Treatment and recovery period depend on the kind of ACL injury and what caused it.
Causes of a ACL injury
There are different reasons why a ACL injury may occur, but these are generally due to movements that stress the knee, the knee getting hit directly or Patella Injury. Movements that stress the knee include sports that will have you planting your foot and doing quick turns at the knees or running then changing direction or stopping suddenly, as well as jumping and landing, like skiing, hockey, basketball, and football. These activities that cause the knees to hyper-extend are what causes a sprain. As for the knee getting hit directly, this may be due to deliberate or accidental hits, such as falling to the ground. Simply feeling pain is not reason enough to assume you have a injury. Rather, keep this in mind: if the pain is on the same side as where the knee was hit, it’s probably just going to bruise and the pain will go away soon. If the pain though is on the other side where the knee was hit, you might be looking at a serious injury, and so need to have your knees checked immediately.
Symptoms of an ACL Injury
You have a ACL injury when you experience the following:
* Decreased movement, like stiffness in the knee making you unable to move as well as you used to;
* Tenderness or Knee Pain Symptoms;
* Painful popping you can audibly hear;
* Bruising or swelling, usually happens within the first couple of hours after being sprained;
* Unstable knees, feeling like your knee is buckling or will give out when you walk.
Treating a ACL injury
Treatment generally involve controlling swelling and pain first before any form of rehabilitation is done, which may include physical therapy exercises. It depends on the severity of the knee injury but ACL Tear Recovery Time may last for weeks or months if you have had ACL Injury Surgery. A treatment plan may include one or more ways of treating a knee sprain, but the most basic of which is R.I.C.E., a four-step plan for treating a acl injury. R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate. Rest means resting your knee and keeping your weight off it so the injury can heal, while Ice simply means icing the affecting area to reduce inflammation and alleviate pain. Compress will have you wearing an elastic bandage to hold the knee in place while it heals, but keep in mind that it should never be too tight as it might cut off circulation to your leg. As for Elevate, you are to simply put your leg up and keep your knee above the level of your heart to aid in reducing the swelling of the knee injury