ACL injuries occur when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in your leg becomes sprained or torn. This ligament connects your shinbone and thigh bone, so injuries to it can affect your ability to walk or put weight on the affected leg. Prompt treatment is an important part of ensuring that these injuries heal properly. Keep the following information in mind about the symptoms of ACL injuries and the kinds of treatment options that are available.
Symptoms of ACL Injuries
When you tear or sprain your ACL, you might hear a popping sound or feel a popping sensation when the injury occurs. You might also have mild to severe pain and discomfort in the affected knee, along with swelling that occurs soon after the injury takes place. Depending on how severe your ACL injury is, you might not be able to move your knee around. You might also experience instability in the affected knee, such as feeling as though your knee joint gives way when you put any weight on it.
If you have any symptoms of an ACL injury, you should seek medical care as soon as possible. This helps ensure that your knee is able to heal properly, which helps reduce the risk of ongoing problems, such as chronic pain or instability.
Treatment for ACL Injuries
ACL injuries can be treated right away with at-home care to reduce swelling and ease pain until you’re able to seek medical care. After the injury occurs, you should rest your knee and avoid putting weight on it. To reduce swelling, you can put an ice pack on your knee for about 20 minutes every two or three hours. You can also wrap your knee with an elastic bandage to ease swelling, and prop your knee up while lying down to elevate it. You should be able to take over-the-counter pain medication for knee pain as well.
When you seek medical care, this might involve going through rehabilitative therapy or physical therapy. These therapy sessions involve doing exercises to help make your knee stable, improve your range of motion and strengthen your leg muscles. You might only need physical therapy and home care for mild ACL injuries, especially if you do not play sports that put a lot of strain on your knees.
Your doctor might recommend surgery for an ACL injury if you have severe damage or no stability in your knee. Surgery might also be recommended if you plan to continue playing a sport that puts strain on your knees. ACL surgical procedures usually involve removing the damaged part of your ligament and replacing it with similar tissue, such as part of a tendon. ACL procedures can be done using arthroscopy, which offers a minimally invasive way to correct this type of injury.
If you need effective treatment for an ACL injury, please contact Huntington Orthopedics. We can evaluate your injury and let you know if surgery is recommended. Our orthopedic surgeons perform surgical procedures to correct ACL injuries, including minimally invasive arthroscopic procedures.