Muscle & Connective Tissue Injuries

Recently Answered

• QWhat is the recovery time for ACL reconstruction surgery?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center answered

  The recovery time after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery is longer than many similar surgeries. This is because people who've had an ACL tear reconstruction usually want to get back to strenuous activity, which takes longer than just getting back to daily living. The full recovery time is required, so they can get back to playing contact sports or, for example, to get back on the slopes. This usually takes six months to a year, depending on how much time and effort you put into rehabilitating your knee after surgery.

  Rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction surgery is critical. A lot of surgeries don't require much therapy afterwards. But an ACL is the exception. The surgeon's job takes about an hour or an hour and a half in the operating room. But the person with the injury has to go through months and months of very strenuous, sometimes painful, recovery to get back to where they were. By far, the most important thing in an ACL reconstruction is what people and their physical therapists do after the surgery is done.

• QWhat are the symptoms of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury?

  2 Answers

  A

  

  A Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center answered

  An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is very painful. Usually the knee swells up right away, and you can't walk on it. Often, people will hear or feel a big pop in their knee, which is the ACL actually tearing.

  After a few days, it often subsides to where it's more comfortable, and they can walk around on it. They think they might be getting better until they start to try to turn corners when they walk or go back to their sport. Then they realize something isn't right with their knee. If the ACL is torn, the knee won't feel solid or reliable. It's not usually a very subtle thing.

  Anybody who has this kind of injury knows right away they've done something wrong to their knee. They may not know it's their ACL that's torn, but it's usually a very painful traumatic event where your knee gives out on you. You may fall to the ground and then feel or hear the pop in your knee. It's usually not possible to walk on it right after that, because the pain is so severe. Then it often swells up right away and feels unstable.

  See All 2 Answers
• QHow soon should I see a doctor if I suspect I have an ACL injury?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center answered

  If you think you have an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, you have a severe injury to your knee, so the sooner you get checked out the better. Often, the doctor will need to examine you in person. If you're too sore to be examined and can’t tell if it's torn, sometimes your doctor will ask you to come back in a week or two. But a torn ligament certainly isn't something to put off for a few weeks or months to see if it gets better. ACLs will not heal on their own—they never do. The problem with waiting is that because your knee is unstable, it slides around. This allows any healthy cartilage in your knee to be chewed up. So you're really damaging your knee further if you don't get it taken care of as soon as possible.

• QHow is an anterior cruciate ligament injury diagnosed?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center answered

  If you think you have an injured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the first step is to have your knee examined by a doctor. Your doctor will usually be able to tell within minutes whether or not your ACL is torn. If your knee becomes sore and painful, so you can't tolerate a doctor wriggling it, then your doctor may ask you to wait a week or two for it to calm down.

  If your knee hasn't cleared up by then (which happens in about 25 percent of cases or less), you'll likely need a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to help diagnose the tear. Regardless of your age, a torn ACL is never going to heal on its own. So if you want to get back to an active lifestyle, the next step will likely be surgery to reconstruct your ACL.

• QWhat is an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear?

  3 Answers

  A

  

  A Univ. of Nev. School of Medicine, Family Medicine answered

  The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the large ligaments within the knee that help provide stability to the knee. If the ACL tears, the ligament fibers are torn either partially or completely. When the ACL tears, the tibia (calf bone) can move forward relative to the femur (thighbone). This is an unstable joint. The amount of instability depends on the size of the tear and how strong the surrounding muscles and ligaments are. If the ACL is completely torn and you are a very active person, it could lead to further knee injury to the cartilage, blood vessels and nerves.

  See All 3 Answers
• QHow do I know if I have injured my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A National Athletic Trainers' Association answered

  An ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) sprain is characterized by a pop associated with feeling the knee joint slide followed by inability to walk normally, swelling of the knee joint, fluid buildup around the knee, difficulty straightening the knee, pain in the back of the knee, and the knee feeling unstable.

  This answer provided for NATA by Loras College.

• QWhat is the treatment for an anterior cruciate ligament or ACL injury?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A HCA Midwest Health answered

  The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most important structures in the knee. It keeps your knee stable, and is crucial for pivoting motions. You make such movements during sporting activities but also when doing things such as getting into and out of a car.

  Surgery is often needed for an ACL tear. Surgery involves reconstructing the ligament using your own tissue or donated tissue from a deceased person. Recovery involves progressive rehabilitation to slowly improve your function and activity level. Usually, most people who have ACL surgery can jog by 3 months after surgery. However, they are restricted from returning to sports until 6 months after surgery.

• QWhat happens during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee surgery?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Intermountain Healthcare answered

  Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery replaces the ligament in the center of your knee with a new ligament. A ligament is a strong band of tissue that attaches one bone to another. The ACL attaches your thighbone (femur) to your shinbone (tibia). It keeps your shinbone in place and keeps your knee from buckling ("giving out") during physical activity. If it's damaged, it will not heal on its own.

  Tearing the ACL is a common knee injury, especially in people who do sports that involve running, pivoting, and jumping.

• QWhy may I need ACL surgery?

  2 Answers

  A

  

  A Lourdes Health System answered

  You may need anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery if you have an ACL tear because ACL tears do not heal. If you want to stay active, if you want to continue to do running and jumping and cutting activities, the ACL tear needs to be repaired and reconstructed surgically.

  Trinity Health is a Catholic health care organization that acts in accordance with the Catholic tradition and does not condone or support all practices covered in this site. In case of emergency call 911. This site is educational and not a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider.

  See All 2 Answers