This may be a sign of bleeding inside the knee joint. Swelling that occurs suddenly is usually a sign of a serious knee injury. Limited knee movement because of pain or swelling or both. The knee feeling unstable, buckling, or giving out. How is an ACL injury diagnosed? How is it treated? There are two ways to treat the injury: Exercises and training, also called rehab.
It takes several months of rehab for your knee to get better. You and your doctor can decide if rehab is enough or if surgery is right for you. If you have surgery, you will also have several months of rehab afterward. There are three main treatment goals: Make the knee stable if it is unsteady, or at least make it stable enough to do your daily activities. Make your knee strong enough to do all the activities you used to do.
Reduce the chance that your knee will be damaged more. How can you prevent ACL injuries? Here are other things you can do that may help prevent ACL injuries: Avoid wearing shoes with cleats in contact sports.
Avoid wearing high-heeled shoes. Avoid sports that involve lots of twisting and contact. Health Tools Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. Decision Points focus on key medical care decisions that are important to many health problems.
Actionsets are designed to help people take an active role in managing a health condition. Cause Anterior cruciate ligament ACL injuries are caused when the knee is straightened beyond its normal limits hyperextended , twisted, or bent side to side.
Typical situations that can lead to ACL injuries include: Changing direction quickly or cutting around an obstacle or another player with one foot solidly planted on the ground. This can happen in sports that put high demand on the ACL, such as basketball, football, soccer, skiing, and gymnastics.
Landing after a jump with a sudden slowing down, especially if the leg is straight or slightly bent such as in basketball. Falling off a ladder, stepping off a curb, jumping from a moderate or extreme height, stepping into a hole, or missing a step when walking down a staircase. Injuries like these tend to be caused by stopping suddenly, with the leg straight or slightly bent.
Symptoms Symptoms of a severe and sudden acute anterior cruciate ligament ACL injury include: Feeling or hearing a "pop" in the knee at the time of injury. Sudden instability in the knee.
The knee feels wobbly, buckles, or gives out. This may happen after a jump or change in direction or after a direct blow to the side of the knee. Knee swelling within the first few hours of the injury. This may be a sign of bleeding inside the joint. For more information on knee injuries, see: Knee Problems and Injuries. Patellar Tracking Disorder. What Happens If you have a sudden acute anterior cruciate ligament ACL injury, you typically know when it happens.
This includes prior injuries, partial tears, ACL deficiency, and changes due to age. The general condition and health of the rest of your knee before this injury. The amount of damage or injury to the ACL. Other injuries to the knee joint, such as to the cartilage or menisci , or to bones in the knee. Your age, how active you are, and how committed you are to treatment and rehabilitation rehab.
The time of diagnosis. If the ACL diagnosis is not made soon after the injury, the knee may be further damaged with use. What Increases Your Risk Things that increase your risk of anterior cruciate ligament ACL injuries include: Playing sports that involve sudden changes in direction or cutting around other players or obstacles, such as skiing, football, soccer, basketball, baseball, and tennis.
Making accidental movements that may twist your knee. Examples include falling off a ladder, jumping from an extreme height, stepping into a hole, or missing a step on a staircase. Losing muscle tone in legs from aging or inactivity. Having unbalanced leg muscle strength, such as if the muscles in the front of your thigh quadriceps are stronger than the muscles at the back of your thigh hamstrings.
When should you call your doctor? Call your doctor immediately if you have an injury to your knee and: You have severe pain in your knee. Your knee appears to be deformed. You have signs of damage to the nerves or blood vessels. Signs include numbness, tingling, a "pins-and-needles" sensation below the injury, an inability to move your leg below the injury, pale or bluish skin, or your leg feels cold.
You have severe swelling in your knee right after the injury. Call your doctor today if: Your knee begins to swell within 2 hours of the injury. You hear or feel a pop in your knee during an injury.
Your knee won't bear weight. You are unable to straighten your leg completely. Your knee is unstable, buckles, or gives out. Your knee "locks" in one position. You have had an anterior cruciate ligament ACL injury in the past, and you have reinjured your knee. Watchful waiting Watchful waiting is a period of time during which you and your doctor observe your symptoms or condition without using medical treatment. Who to see Knee problems can be diagnosed by: Emergency medicine specialists for acute knee injury.
Family medicine doctors familiar with knee injuries. Orthopedic surgeons. Sports medicine specialists. Exams and Tests An anterior cruciate ligament ACL injury is diagnosed through a medical history and a physical exam.
A doctor who specializes in knee injuries for example, an orthopedic surgeon or sports medicine specialist will usually be able to accurately diagnose an ACL injury after: Taking your medical history. You will be asked how you injured your knee, about your symptoms at the time of injury, whether you have had any other knee injuries, and general questions about your health. Checking your knees for stability, strength, range of movement, swelling, and tenderness. Tests for stability include a Lachman test and a pivot shift test.
The Lachman test compares the degree of looseness laxity in your knees. Looking at an X-ray , which is usually done for any knee injury if there is pain, swelling, or you cannot put your weight on the leg. Although an ACL injury cannot be directly diagnosed by an X-ray, an X-ray can show whether a bone is broken, any bone fragments are in the knee, the ACL is torn from the bone along with a little piece of the bone avulsion fracture , or blood is present in the knee effusion.
More imaging tests Other tests that may help your doctor see how badly the knee is injured include: An MRI. It can identify an ACL tear or other problems, such as meniscus tears or other ligament injuries. A CT scan. It prevents the shin bone from sliding out in front of the thigh bone.
It prevents the shin bone from sliding backwards under the femur. Women are more likely to have an ACL tear than men. An ACL injury can occur if you: Get hit very hard on the side of your knee, such as during a football tackle Overextending your knee joint Quickly stop moving and change direction while running, landing from a jump, or turning Basketball, football, soccer, and skiing are common sports linked to ACL tears.
Early symptoms: A "popping" sound at the time of injury Knee swelling within 6 hours of injury Pain, especially when you try to put weight on the injured leg Difficulty in continuing with your sport Feeling of instability Those who have only a mild injury may notice that the knee feels unstable or seems to "give way" when using it.
First aid for an ACL injury may include: Raising your leg above the level of the heart Putting ice on the knee Pain relievers, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen You also may need: Crutches to walk until the swelling and pain get better Brace to give your knee some stability Physical therapy to help improve joint motion and leg strength Surgery to reconstruct the ACL Some people can live and function normally with a torn ACL.
Do NOT move your knee if you have had a serious injury. Use a splint to keep the knee straight until you see a doctor. Do NOT return to play or other activities until you have been treated. When to Contact a Medical Professional. Call your provider right away if you have a serious knee injury. Alternative Names. Patient Instructions. ACL reconstruction - discharge.
Knee Injuries and Disorders Read more. Health Topics A-Z Read more. Anterior cruciate ligament ACL knee injuries often happen suddenly and without warning. While any active adult can sustain an ACL injury, there are certain situations, activities, and risk factors that increase the likelihood of it occurring. An ACL tear is usually sudden and is regularly seen in both contact and non-contact sports. It often occurs:. See Understanding Knee Hyperextension. Sports injuries are the most common causes of ACL tears, however, the ACL can be injured during any trauma, such as during a car accident, falling off a ladder, or missing a step on a staircase.
A particularly vulnerable and common landing position for ACL tears involves the knee and hip in an extended straight position when the athlete forcefully places an inward, or valgus, force on the knee. What Is the Anterior Cruciate Ligament? Most ACL tears happen during athletic activity. For example when someone: changes direction or twists the knee while running jumps and lands in a way that twists the knee The ACL also can tear if the knee is hit forcefully from the side.
Right after the injury, an ACL tear is treated with: RICE: R est, I ce, C ompression with an elastic bandage , and E levation raising the knee over-the-counter pain medicine such as acetaminophen Tylenol or store brand or ibuprofen Advil, Motrin, or store brand Most partial tears can be treated with bracing and physical therapy PT.
Some complete ACL tears need surgery. The need for surgery depends on many things, including: the type of the activities or sports the person wants to do if the person is an athlete age other injuries to the knee if the knee "gives way" or feels unstable What Happens During Surgery for a Torn ACL? Physical therapy is important to help the knee heal. What Should I Do? To get the best treatment possible: Go to all follow-up visits and physical therapy appointments as directed.
Follow the care team's instructions for at-home exercises.
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