sports medicine newsletter
ACL Injury Symptoms
-by AM Rogers. Source of information: Vic Goradia, M.D.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a tough, non-stretchable rope-like structure that connects the thighbone (femur) to the leg bone (tibia).
Here's what patients often describe when
they have an ACL Injury:
- Felt a pop in my knee when I landed
- Knee feels like it's giving away
- Knee shifts out
- Knee feels unstable
- Limited knee movement because of swelling and pain
- It feels like knee is sliding out of place
- Knee pops out of place
- Knee buckles
- Pain on the outside and back of the knee
- Sudden instability in the knee after a jump or change in
direction or after a direct blow to the side of the knee- Chronic unstable knee that pops out and sometimes
swells and hurts. (ACL deficiency)
There are two cruciate ligaments that crisscross in the knee joint. The ACL attaches “anterior” (in front) to the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The ACL is more commonly injured than the PCL, and the ACL is the most common knee ligament injury requiring surgery treatment.
How ACL Injuries Happen
People often tear the ACL when they participate in basketball, football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, tennis and any sport or work activity that requires cutting, jumping, pivoting, changing direction rapidly, slowing down from running or landing from a jump.
The ACL Knee Symptoms Patients Describe
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You might hear a popping noise when your ACL tears. Your knee gives out and soon begins to hurt and swell. When injured, the ACL unravels like a braided rope and does not heal on its own.
Each time your knee "gives way", other structures such as cartilage and menisci can be damaged, leading to early arthritis.
It is key to note that if the ACL is not reconstructed, the majority of active patients may experience repeat episodes of their knee “giving-way.” A thorough evaluation by an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in knee ligament injuries is needed as soon as possible after injury. As the ACL tears and the knee slides out of place, other structures within the knee are often injured.