Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the most common injuries that can happen to an athlete. ACL surgery is a surgical procedure that reconstructs the ligament with a graft.
This section will outline what every athlete needs to know about ACL surgery, its recovery
process, and prevention methods.
What to Expect from ACL Surgery
The ACL is a ligament that connects the femur and tibia; it maintains and provides rotational knee stability. ACL reconstruction surgery is a surgical procedure that replaces an injured or partially torn anterior cruciate ligament with a graft of tissue from elsewhere in the body.
A doctor can do minimally invasive surgery through arthroscopy, which reduces recovery time, but it may require more than one surgery to correct all injuries.
Athletes who have had an ACL injury should consider returning to sports after recovery from ACL surgery only after their physician and physical therapist have cleared them.
How To Know if you have an ACL Injury?
One should immediately go to a doctor for diagnosis, but if you are experiencing these, you might have injured your ACL.
Symptoms of ACL Injury includes
- Hearing or feeling a POP in the knee
- Severe Pain and Swelling at the site of injury
- Compromised movement (range of motion) and balance
Things to avoid while recovering from ACL surgery
It’s not uncommon to experience pain during the post-op period. Although it’s tempting to spend time on the couch, you should spend some time moving around and doing exercises each day. Staying active will help speed up your recovery process, but there are some things to avoid while recovering from ACL surgery that can slow down your progress.
- Do not over ice your knee – While icing can help with the recovery, overdoing it could lead to nerve damage. It’s best to limit it to 20 minutes 4x a day.
- While it might be tempting to spring into action, its best not to put too much pressure on your knee, even if you might not feel any pain anymore
- Do not bend your knee when sleeping; this will lead to an accumulation of scar tissue that may later prevent you from extending your knee.
- Equally, distribute the weight of both of your legs. While it might be common to use your good leg more, shifting the weight could potentially injure it, thus setting back your recovery.
- If something doesn’t feel right, tell your doctor about it.
Remember not to abuse your knee as it’s recovering. A good knee scooter would help you move around; some might feel discomfort when you don’t know how to use it. There are, however, ways to make the use of a knee scooter more comfortable; just make sure to adjust properly.
Five Steps To Preventing An ACL Injury
While the ACL is a crucial ligament in your knee, it is not invincible. The ACL can be injured through contact with another player, a sudden change in direction or when you land from a jump.
Here are five steps that can help prevent an ACL injury:
- Proper warm-up
- Flexibility and strength exercises
- Proper running technique
- Prevention of overuse
- Prevention of contact injuries
What is the recovery time after ACL surgery?
A knee joint with an ACL tear will typically take six to nine months to recover. The process for healing is generally divided into three phases. Phase one is the first three months following surgery, where the goal is to reduce swelling and pain, strengthen muscles, improve range of motion, and restore confidence. Phase two lasts around six months and focuses on regaining stability in the knee joint by strengthening muscles, increasing flexibility. Phase 3. This phase focuses on regaining your knee’s full range of motion and strengthening the muscles around it.
Conclusion
ACL may be a career-ending injury and cause severe disability. However, proper knee function can be restored with new surgical techniques that have been introduced. Make sure to discuss this with your trusted medical doctor before returning to sports activity.