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ACL Symptoms - How Patients Describe this Knee Injury PDF Print E-mail
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Written by Reviewed by Rob Klitzman, M.D.   
Monday, 14 September 2009 00:00

ACL Injury Symptoms
Written by AM Rogers and Reviewed by Rob Klitzman, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a tough, non-stretchable rope-like structure that connects the thighbone (femur) to the leg bone (tibia).

ACL Injury video
Click here for more info on ACL Surgery as well as a You Tube Video.

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.

Here are the symptoms 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)

The ACL Knee Symptoms Patients Describe

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 can unravel like a braided rope or avulse (separate or tear off) from the femur or tibia.  It will 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.

kinesio taping for achilles
Last Updated on Saturday, 15 May 2010 17:23
 

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