It is a very common injury among the sports players and mainly falls under the category of sports injuries.
ACL is abbreviated as Anterior Cruciate Ligament. This is the main ligament found in the knee joint and keeps it together, to ultimately provide the stability. It is the main connection between your thighbone (femur) and the shinbone (tibia).
“ACL injury is characterized by the tearing of an anterior cruciate ligament that results in the dysfunctioning of the knee.”
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Causes of Injury
As discussed before, ACL is majorly observed in the sports players and it is caused due to the exertion of stress or pressure on the knee during any sports or fitness activity such as;
- Quickly slowing down and changing direction (commonly called as cutting in sports)
- Pivoting with the foot firmly planted on the ground
- Incorrectly landing a jump
- Sudden stop
- A direct hit to the knee or any collision, such as; a football tackle
During the minor injury, ligament remains intact but may get overextended. On the other hand; in major injury, ligaments get damaged and there is usually a partial or complete tearing across.
Severe pain that leads to knee dysfunction:
- Swelling that develops within a few hours after injury
- The inability of motion leading to restriction of the specified range
- A feeling of instability due to limited motion
- Inability to bear weight while standing or walking
When To Consult With an Orthopedist?
It can be determined from the signs and symptoms, if you are experiencing an ACL injury or not. If the answer is yes! Consult your Orthopedists and seek medical attention on an immediate basis. As the knee joint is an important functional organ of the human body so proper treatment is mandatory.
Prof. M. A. Wajid is one of the pioneers to introduce this novel approach of treatment for the patients in Pakistan. His professional expertise as a sports doctor for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and hands-on experience of years in Orthopedics makes him the only choice for professional PRP treatment for sports injuries, joint and back pain.
Keyhole Treatment of ACL Injury
There are several treatments for this injury but those all are based on the extent of an injury.
Mainly used treatments involve two methods that are;
- Open Surgery
- Keyhole Surgery
Both are different from each other on the basis of the size of incisions made during performing the surgery. Open surgery involves large incisions.
“A surgery that is performed by usually making small incisions in the knee and involves the insertion of instruments called an arthroscope, for surgery through these incisions is commonly known as keyhole surgery.”
Procedure:
Initially, the surgeon makes small incisions usually two around the knee. Sterile saline solution is inserted in the area. This makes the view clear for the surgeon. Then a camera is inserted into and the camera at the end of arthroscope is used to transmit the inside pictures on the TV monitor in the operation room.
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Then the surgeon repairs the tissue through other small incisions. The grafts are harvested through the holes. Then the graft is secured with dissolvable screws and the incision does not require any stitches. The knee is then bandaged, and the patient is taken to the recovery room for 2 to 3 hours.
The patient is discharged on the same day of surgery hospital admission is not mandatory.
Other Non-surgical Remedies for ACL Tear
The ACL is one of four ligaments in the knee. Without it, the knee lacks stability. While some people choose to forgo repair of the ligament others won’t, especially those people who have to lead an active lifestyle before and wishes to continue to do so. A split in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is normally rebuilt rather than fixed. This is only because repairs of the ACL have higher failure rates.
People who choose to not have their ACL surgery have other alternatives available to them. Rehabilitation and physical therapy are amongst the one used very often. They could boost its stability and improve it enough so that its state is adequate though they won’t return a person’s knee to its previous condition.
A nonsurgical repair is usually good enough for kids (because their growth plates are still open), people that have no additional tears, individuals that only participate in light, guide work and people who lead sedentary lifestyles. Rehabilitation and physical therapy will not be adequate for people who perform manual labor on a regular basis and athletes.
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) therapy is considered a breakthrough treatment for soft tissue injuries, i.e., ligaments and tendons. Since it has proven to be effective in this regard, there has been some debate about whether or not it’s suitable for treating ACL tears. Studies are funded to determine the aforementioned.
PRP therapy involves having a patient’s own blood to treat whatever harm ails them. Blood is taken from the patient and it is separated into its components in the lab. The platelet-rich plasma is then extracted. The platelets are then injected into the injured part of the body. PRP aids healing and accelerate tissue repair.
