Jumat, 21 Desember 2012

ACL injury

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:ACL injury

Definition  :
An ACL injury is the tearing of the anterior cruciate (KROO-she-ate) ligament, or ACL, inside your knee joint. An ACL injury most commonly occurs during sports that involve sudden stops and changes in direction — such as basketball, soccer, tennis and volleyball.
Immediately after an ACL injury, your knee may swell, feel unstable and become too painful to bear weight. Many people hear a "pop" in their knee when an ACL injury occurs.

Depending on the severity of your ACL injury, treatment may include surgery to replace the torn ligament followed by rehabilitation exercises to help you regain strength and stability. If your favorite sport involves pivoting or jumping, a proper training program can help you to reduce your chances of an ACL injury.

Symptoms:
At the time of an ACL injury, signs and symptoms may include:
  • A loud "pop" sound
  • Severe pain
  • Knee swelling that usually worsens for hours after the injury occurs
  • A feeling of instability or "giving way" with weight bearing
When to see a doctor
Most people seek immediate medical attention after an ACL injury

Causes:
Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that connect one bone to another. The ACL, one of two ligaments that cross in the middle of the knee, connects your thighbone (femur) to your shinbone (tibia) and helps stabilize your knee joint.

Most ACL injuries happen during sports and fitness activities. The ligament may tear when you slow down suddenly to change direction or pivot with your foot firmly planted, twisting or overextending your knee.

Landing awkwardly from a jump can also injure your ACL, as can falls during downhill skiing. A football tackle or motor vehicle accident also can cause an ACL injury. However, most ACL injuries occur without such contact.

Complications:
People who experience an ACL injury are at higher risk of developing knee osteoarthritis, in which joint cartilage deteriorates and its smooth surface roughens. Arthritis may occur even if you have surgery to reconstruct the ligament.

Treatments and drugs:
Initial treatment for an ACL injury aims to reduce pain and swelling in your knee, regain normal joint movement and strengthen the muscles around your knee.
You and your doctor will then decide if you need surgery plus rehabilitation, or rehabilitation alone.

The choice depends on several factors, including the extent of damage to your knee and your willingness to modify your activities.
Athletes who wish to return to sports involving cutting, pivoting or jumping usually pursue surgical reconstruction to prevent episodes of instability. More-sedentary individuals usually can maintain knee stability with rehabilitation alone.

Therapy
Rehabilitation therapy will be needed, whether or not you have surgery on your knee. Therapy will include:
  • The use of crutches and, possibly, a knee brace
  • Range-of-motion exercises to regain your full knee motion
  • Muscle-strengthening and stability exercises
Surgical and other procedures
  • Arthrocentesis. An ACL injury tends to cause bleeding inside the knee, which can lead to significant swelling. This swelling can be reduced by arthrocentesis, a procedure in which a needle is inserted into the knee joint to draw off the excess fluid.
  • Surgical reconstruction. A torn ACL can't be successfully sewn back together, so the ligament is replaced with a piece of tendon from another part of your leg. This surgery is usually performed arthroscopically through small incisions around your knee joint. A camera is used to guide the placement of the ACL graft.



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