Everything You Need to Know About Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Treatment

Everything You Need to Know About Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Treatment

Looking to understand everything about Anterior Cruciate Ligament surgery (ACL) before you visit an ortho doctor in ludhiana for your treatment? From what causes it, the signs to watch out for, how it’s treated, to what recovery looks like, you’ve landed at the right page. This blog has got you covered with all the details on ACL.

What is an Anterior Cruciate Ligament?

The ACL is one of the ligaments in the knee joint that connects the bottom of the femur (thigh bone) to the top of the tibia (shinbone). It helps your knee to become stable. It connects bones and cartilage.

What is ACL Injury?

An Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury is a tear or strain of ACL that mostly occurs during sudden movement or sports activities such as football, basketball, soccer and many more.

Types of ACL Injury

The types of ACL injury is categorized as grade 1 to grade 3 which are as follow:-

  • Grade-1:- In this type of ACL injury, a patient has mild damage to ACL. It keeps your knee joint stable.
  • Grade-2:- In this your ACL, a patient’s ligament is partially torn.
  • Grade-3:- The patient’s ACL is torn that it does not keep your knee stable.

Therefore, the ortho doctor in ludhiana will carefully examine your injury and will provide you with appropriate treatment based on the grade of your injury.

What are the causes of ACL Injury?

ACL injury happens during sudden activities or sports that can put stress on your knee. The following are the causes of ACL injury:-

  • Sudden change in the direction.
  • Awkwardly landing while jumping.
  • Have a direct collision or hit to the knee with some substance or thing.
  • If you stop suddenly while running or moving.
  • Through repeated stress on the knee.
  • The knee is bent backwards or twisted.

Sports injuries are the most common causes of ACL tears, however, it can be injured during many other sudden traumas or accidents, such as during a car accident, falling off a ladder, or missing a step on a staircase.

Various studies have shownthat women are at higher risk for ACL injury because of the  following reasons:-

  • Anatomy of female gender.
  • Genes of the female body.
  • Strength of a woman.
  • Jumping patterns.

ACL injury is common in people between the ages of 15 and 45, due to their active lifestyle.

What are the symptoms of ACL tear?

When you have a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament, you may hear a “popping” sound. Other major signs and symptoms of ACL tearing may include the following:-

  • Pain:- If you have suffered from an ACL injury, then you will experience pain. Some people have faced trouble while standing or when putting pressure on the leg.
  • Swelling:– You will observe swelling near the knee. Swelling may develop within 24 hours. It may last up to a week.
  • Inability to bear the weight:– if you have a tear or injury in the anterior cruciate ligament, you are unable to carry the weight.
  • Discomfort while walking:– You can also feel some discomfort while walking or doing any other type of motion.

If you experience any of the above signs, it’s suggested to visit an experienced ortho doctor in Ludhiana so that he or she can diagnose the grade of ACL injury. To diagnose the ACL injury you may undergo following tests:-

  • X-rays:-X-rays may be used to detect a bone fracture but don’t show damage in soft tissues.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI):-MRI creates images of both hard and soft tissues in your body. It helps the doctor to diagnose the damage to tissues in the knee, including the cartilage.
  • Ultrasound:- Ultrasound may be used to check the injuries in the ligaments, tendons and muscles of the knee.

Basics of ACL Surgery

In ACL surgery, your doctor will put a lighted tube with a tiny camera attached to it known as an arthroscope and surgical tools through small cuts in your knee. But sometimes open surgery is done through a larger incision in the knee. The type of surgery used for each patient depends upon the nature of the injury.

In ACL reconstruction surgery, a new ACL is made with the help of a graft of replacement tissue – which is either from a portion of the patient’s hamstring, quadriceps or patellar tendon or an allograft (tissue from a human organ donor).

Since it is a critical surgery, you must look for a renowned ortho doctor in ludhiana so that you can get the right treatment and recover fast.

How does the ACL surgery work?

Bone and knee tissue graft:-

For ACL surgery, the graft can be extracted from the lower part of the knee. The surgeon will remove the tissue and a small block of bone known as a “bone block” at each end of the graft. The graft will then be attached to the bone block using screws or staples.

Hamstring graft:-

Up to three tendons can be harvested for ACL replacement graft surgery. The surgeon will use a portion of the tendon taken from the Semitendinosus Tendon and a portion from the Gracilis Tendon. The graft is extracted through tunnels drilled in the Upper and Lower leg bones. The graft is then tightened with screws or staples.

Have an ACL Injury? Connect with experts today!

Seek immediate care if any injury to your knee causes signs or symptoms of an ACL injury. It’s important to get an accurate diagnosis to determine the grade of the injury and get proper treatment. You can consult Dr. Tanveer Singh Bhutani, the best orthopedic doctor Ludhiana for your treatment. Under his treatment, you will get speedy recovery and lifelong results. Book your appointment today!

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