ACL Tear is one of the most common knee injuries in your anterior cruciate ligament, and to get sidelined because of it is one of the worst nightmares a person can ever face. ACL injuries can happen to anyone, but it’s usually the athletes who participate in high-demanding sports such as soccer, high jump, relay et al, which get affected by it commonly.
Did You Know?
A loud pop or a popping sensation in the knee is usually the first symptom of an ACL Tear – which is different from a normal knee joint pain.
Let’s have a look at more symptoms of ACL Tears
- Severe pain and an inability to continue simple daily activities such as jogging or a stroll in the park
- Severe swelling in your anterior cruciate ligament area
- Sudden loss of range of motion
- An injured knee too painful to bear weight
- Tenderness at knee joint
- Signs of potential ligament damage, including giving way and limping
Why do female athletes suffer from more ACL injuries than their male counterparts?
This is one of the most common questions that patients ask their orthopaedician. The joint, through which the anterior cruciate ligament passes, along with the actual size of the anterior cruciate ligament, is significantly smaller in women than in men. Also, female athletes as well as women working out in the gym tend to put greater stress on their knees (particularly, ACL). All these factors make the females more susceptible to anterior cruciate ligament tear than their male counterparts.
Complications of an ACL Tear Injury
People who tear their ACLs are at a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis in their knee, however it is not applicable in all cases and it mostly depends on the severity of your injury and how badly you have torn your anterior cruciate ligament.
Most of the times it’s the nonsurgical methods like good rest, ice on the affected area, compression with an elastic bandage that help in healing the ACL Tears.
Your Orthopaedician will recommend Surgery if
- You’re a professional athlete who wants to prolong their career
- All the nonsurgical methods have failed to heal your tear
- More than one ligament in your knee is torn
- Inability to perform even the simplest of the daily activities
Good warm up before gymming, core strengthening exercises and proper rest will definitely help you in preventing the dreaded ACL tears.
