How to identify an ACL Tear?

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)

ACL comes at the second spot after medial collateral ligament (MCL). What you should look at is how it is caused and how to identify it. Anterior Cruciate Ligament is commonly caused during sports particularly that involve jumping, change of directions or sudden stops like basketball, tennis, gymnastics, volleyball, soccer, downhill skiing and football. Although you can take sports medicines but, remember that they wouldn’t be effective alone. You should do various other treatments in order to cure the problem more efficiently.

Most of the time, you might feel or hear a pop in the knee area that causes instability and swelling. It’s necessary to determine the severity of ACL injury because you cannot do anything without it. Your responsibility is to do exercises to regain strength after a knee surgery recovery.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Symptoms

What refers to Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)? How would you find it out? Here is what you have to remember:

·       Popping sensation or sound in the knee

·       Loss of the level of movement

·       Inability and severe pain while continuing activity

·       Instability and loss of strength

Causes

As mentioned above, ligaments are the strong tissue bands in the knee, they have to work harder to keep the bones connected. The ACL is responsible to connect the thighbone to the shinbone so that the knee joint can be stabilized. Remember that ACL injuries are caused due to fitness and sports activities:

·       Stopping suddenly

·       Incorrect landing from a jump

·       Collision or a direct blow to the knee

·       Pivoting with the foot

·       Sudden change of direction or slowing down

So, what you should do in case of ACL or MCL injuries? How to treat multiple ligament surgeries? It’s better to see a professional orthopedic doctor as there would be no one who could understand the problem. Just click here to book your appointment right now.

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About the Author
Dr Sean Leo is a former SAF Medical Scholarship recipient and served as CO of the Medical Classification Centre at CMPB. After retiring from active military service in 2012, Dr Leo joined Changi General Hospital where he was the Director of Hip and Knee Service.  He subsequently went into private practice at Mt Elizabeth Novena Hospital. As an orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Leo is specialized in knee and lower limb surgery with a focus on sport injuries, rehabilitation and performance. 

For an appointment, email appointment@orthokinetics.sg.