Thursday, July 24, 2008

ACL Reconstructive Surgery

Read my story of ACL Reconstructive Surgery.

ACL injuries are common, especially if you play sports. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), is the most often injured ligament of the 4 ligaments in your knee and I can tell you from first hand experience, it is very painful when you suffer a torn ACL. The ACL can be injured by hyper extending the knee or twisting your knee inward.

This can be caused by:




  • Sudden change of direction, causing a twist in your knee (cutting in sports)


  • A rapid stop with a change in direction


  • Slowing down while running


  • Landing from a jump


  • Contact or collision causing extreme knee hyper extension

When the ACL becomes injured you may hear and feel a "pop" in your knee. In most cases, this is the ligament tearing. If this does happen, be sure to apply the Rest, Ice, Compression, and elevation. Otherwise known as the RICE technique. Be see your doctor as soon as possible.


If you do suffer an ACL tear, educate yourself as much as possible about your treatment options. Keep in mind that a torn ACL cannot be repaired. It requires knee surgery and must be replaced, which is why they call it ACL reconstructive surgery and not ACL repair surgery.


Read my story of ACL Reconstructive Surgery.