The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the most important stabilising structure of the knee joint. It is attached to the Femur (thigh bone) at its upper end & to the Tibia (shin bone) at its lower end.
Due to certain injuries, particularly following a twisting injury to the knee joint which is more common in contact sports such as Football, the ACL may get torn either at its ends or in the middle called Mid substance tear.
Patients may present with typical history of trauma and have any of the following symptoms & signs :-
- Pain – Immediately following injury, patient develops severe pain which prevents him/her from carrying out activities of daily living. Rarely, it is possible for patients to experience no or mild pain.
- Swelling – Pain is usually followed later on by appearance of swelling in the affected knee which is due to the internal bleeding that follows the ligament tear.
- Instability – Patient sometimes may notice some form of instability in the knee on attempted movement or walking. However, this instability can be easily identified by your Orthopaedic surgeon on performing clinical examination.
Typical history given by the patient & a thorough clinical examination should arouse suspicion of ACL tear. The diagnosis can be confirmed by radiological imaging studies, specifically MRI of the knee joint.
Treatment :-
Unfortunately, the torn ligament cannot be reattached and has to be treated surgically.
The arthroscopic ACL reconstruction remains the standard & Gold standard treatment for ACL tear. In this minimally invasive surgery, patients own tissue is used to reconstruct the new ACL and is placed in place of torn ACL using special instruments. Specific designed implants are used for fixation of reconstructed ACL in its place.
Arthroscopic ACL Reconstruction is a highly successful surgery and following a carefully planned physiotherapy programme in the postoperative period, patient can resume his active lifestyle in 4-6 weeks and without any restriction including sports in matter of 6 months.
However, it is a surgical procedure and risks associated with anaesthesia and surgery have to be taken into consideration by the patient.
Non-Surgical Treatment :-
In patients who are not willing to undergo surgery the treatment options include Rest, Painkiller medications and support to the knee in the form of brace in the immediate post injury period. This is followed by a supervised physiotherapy programme to strengthen the muscles to provide stability to the knee. However, these patients require more activity restriction and may have to give up their beloved sports activity. Also, knee may remain unstable which may lead to secondary injuries to other intra articular structures.
At SaiShree Hospital in Aundh, our expert orthopaedic surgeons along with state of the art modern facilities provides best treatment for ACL injuries which is at par with any internationally acclaimed hospitals.