Surgical reconstruction is indicated in individuals who wish to return to pivoting type sports, and for those who have problems with giving way during day-to-day activities. We have previously outlined how repeated giving way of the knee may lead to damage of other structures within the knee and it is this repeated giving way that…
The special function of the ACL As well as providing a restraint to abnormal knee movement, the ACL gives important information to the muscles involved in the reflex control of knee movements. Nerve fibres give the knee a sense of position and movement and this sensory awareness is known as proprioception. It is a normal…
Types of tears: functional or non-functional Several different words are used to describe a torn ACL including ruptured, snapped, injured, torn and popped for example. Once injured, it can partially heal in some people and this may give sufficient restraint to return to non pivoting sports. In most however, the ligament will not heal tight…
The importance of the ACL is that it is the main stabiliser of the knee and without it fast pivoting and twisting actions become difficult and result in giving way of the knee. It is hard to get back to pivoting type sports without a good ACL. In addition repeated buckling or giving way of…
Injury to the ACL is diagnosed by detecting an increase in the forward movement of the tibia in relation to the femur. Normally such movement is prevented by the ACL. The examining doctor gently grasps the tibia and the femur and tries to detect the increased movement. Another of the tests is the Pivot Shift…
Typically, the ACL is injured in a non-contact, twisting movement involving rapid deceleration on the leg, or a sudden change of direction, such as during side stepping, pivoting or landing from a jump . Injuries are often associated with a popping sensation followed by swelling in the knee over the next few hours due to…
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the main restraining ligaments in the knee. It runs through the centre of the knee, from the back of the femur (thigh bone) to the front of the tibia (shin bone), and it acts as a link mechanism between the thigh and lower leg. The main function…
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Patient information and Rehabilitation Guidelines This section provides a summary of information relating to injury to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, covering what it is, how it is injured and how it is reconstructed. A summary is given of the rehabilitation plan with its stages right up to returning to sport. Full…
