You can contact a physical therapist directly for an evaluation. They improve quality of life through hands-on care, patient education, and prescribed movement.
Physical therapists are movement experts. Physical therapists are trained to help individuals with ACL tears reduce pain and swelling, regain strength and movement, and return to desired activities. Women are more likely than men to experience an ACL tear. Approximately 70% of ACL tears in sports are the result of noncontact injuries, and 30% are the result of direct contact (player-to-player, player-to-object). It is estimated that there are 95,000 ruptures of the ACL and 100,000 ACL reconstructions performed per year in the United States. Approximately 200,000 ACL injuries are diagnosed in the United States each year. Nonathletes can also experience an ACL tear due to injury or accident. 2014 42:1567.An anterior cruciate ligament tear is an injury to the knee commonly affecting athletes, such as soccer players, basketball players, skiers, and gymnasts. Incidence of second ACL injuries 2 years after primary ACL reconstruction and return to sport. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier 2015. In: DeLee & Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: Principles and Practice. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Return to play following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Education 2019. In: Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2019. Sports medicine & outpatient orthopedics. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research 2018. See the stories of satisfied Mayo Clinic patients. Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. The Mayo Clinic experience and patient stories Wearing a knee brace doesn't appear to prevent ACL injury or reduce the risk of recurring injury after surgery.
If you downhill ski, make sure your ski bindings are adjusted correctly by a trained professional so that your skis will release appropriately if you fall. Wear footwear and padding that is appropriate for your sport to help prevent injury. Training to strengthen muscles of the legs, hips and core - as well as training to improve jumping and landing techniques and to prevent inward movement of the knee - may help to reduce the higher ACL injury risk in female athletes. Training to improve technique when performing pivoting and cutting movements.Training and exercise emphasizing proper technique and knee position when jumping and landing from jumps.Exercises that strengthen leg muscles, particularly hamstring exercises, to ensure an overall balance in leg muscle strength.Exercises to strengthen the core - including the hips, pelvis and lower abdomen - with a goal of training athletes to avoid moving the knee inward during a squat.A sports medicine physician, physical therapist, athletic trainer or other specialist in sports medicine can provide assessment, instruction and feedback that can help you reduce risks. Proper training and exercise can help reduce the risk of ACL injury. Multiple factors likely influence the risk of arthritis, such as the severity of the original injury, the presence of related injuries in the knee joint or the level of activity after treatment. Arthritis may occur even if you have surgery to reconstruct the ligament. People who experience an ACL injury have a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knee. Using poorly maintained sports equipment, such as ski bindings that aren't adjusted properly.Wearing footwear that doesn't fit properly.Using faulty movement patterns, such as moving the knees inward during a squat.Participating in certain sports, such as soccer, football, basketball, gymnastics and downhill skiing.Being female - possibly due to differences in anatomy, muscle strength and hormonal influences.There are a number of factors that increase your risk of an ACL injury, including: A mild injury may stretch the ligament but leave it intact. When the ligament is damaged, there is usually a partial or complete tear of the tissue. Receiving a direct blow to the knee or having a collision, such as a football tackle.Suddenly slowing down and changing direction (cutting).The ACL, one of two ligaments that cross in the middle of the knee, connects your thighbone to your shinbone and helps stabilize your knee joint.ĪCL injuries often happen during sports and fitness activities that can put stress on the knee: Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that connect one bone to another.
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