ACL

What is an ACL injury?

Your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the primary ligament in your knee. The ACL is a strong band of tissue that connects your thigh bone to your shin bone, providing stability to your knee joint.

ACL injuries often develop during high-impact sports or exercise, happening when you quickly change direction or stop suddenly. You can also suffer ACL damage from direct trauma like football tackles and a collision on the field.

An injury to the ACL can involve a partial or complete tear of the soft tissue, which can interfere with your mobility and cause a number of symptoms.

What are the symptoms of an ACL injury?

In many cases, you can feel a popping sensation at the time of the incident, indicating damage to the ACL. Severe pain typically begins immediately after the injury and can worsen over time.

Other common symptoms of an ACL injury include:

• Sudden swelling
• Limited range of motion
• Inability to put weight on the knee

If you suspect you’ve injured your ACL, it’s important that you schedule a diagnostic evaluation at Alpha Orthopedics & Sports Medicine right away. Untreated ACL injuries can affect the other structures of the knee and lead to disability.

How is an ACL diagnosed?

Your Alpha Orthopedics & Sports Medicine doctor discusses your activities at the time of the injury and does a physical exam. Your doctor evaluates swelling and checks the range of motion in your knee joint.

To get a closer look at your ACL, they could recommend imaging tests like X-rays or an MRI, which can show the severity of damage to the ligament and rule out other issues that could be causing pain.

How are ACL injuries treated?

Initially, your Alpha Orthopedics & Sports Medicine physician will likely recommend rest and ice therapy to alleviate pain and swelling. In some cases, minor injuries to the ACL can heal on their own with rest and physical therapy.

If you have a complete tear of the ACL and lack stability in your knee, your physician could recommend ACL reconstruction surgery. During the procedure, your Alpha Orthopedics & Sports Medicine surgeon removes the damaged parts of the ACL and replaces them with pieces of a tendon from another part of your body.

Following surgery, your physician works with you on a physical therapy plan to rebuild strength in the ACL and muscles surrounding the knee joint, helping you return to your active lifestyle.

Find out more about treatments available for ACL injuries by calling the office nearest you or booking a consultation online. You can also visit our walk-in clinics in McKinney and Prosper, Texas.