At Access Sports Medicine, we understand how frustrating and painful an ACL injury can be, especially when it affects your ability to move, work, or play. One of the most common and serious knee injuries is to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a key stabilizer in your knee joint.
What Is the ACL?
The ACL connects the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps keep your knee stable. It’s one of four main ligaments in the knee and plays a vital role in your ability to pivot, jump, or stop quickly.
What Causes an ACL Injury?
ACL injuries often occur during activities that involve sudden stops, changes in direction, or awkward landings, which are common in sports like soccer, basketball, and skiing. These movements can place excessive stress on the knee, causing the ligament to stretch or tear. An ACL injury can also result from direct impact to the knee, such as a collision or fall. Weak muscles, poor form, or a history of previous knee injuries can increase your risk.
While an ACL injury can range in severity, our sports medicine specialists diagnose and treat all types, including:
Grade I – Mild Sprain: The ligament is slightly stretched but still functions normally.
Grade II – Partial Tear: The ACL is stretched and partially torn, leading to some instability.
Grade III – Complete Tear: The ligament is fully torn, and the knee becomes unstable. Surgery is often recommended for active individuals.
What are the Symptoms of an ACL Tear?
ACL injuries can be frustrating, especially if they keep you from doing activities that you enjoy. If you’ve experienced a sudden injury to your knee and are feeling pain, swelling, or instability, it could be a tear in your ACL. Understanding the symptoms is the first step toward getting the right care and getting back on your feet.
Common symptoms of an ACL tear include:
- A loud “pop” or sensation of popping in the knee
- Immediate pain, often severe
- Rapid swelling within the first few hours
- Instability or the feeling that the knee may give out
- Difficulty bearing weight or walking
- Decreased range of motion
- Tenderness along the joint line
How Is an ACL Injury Diagnosed?
To diagnose an ACL injury, your provider will begin with a physical exam and a discussion of how the injury occurred. Imaging tests, such as X-rays or an MRI, may be recommended to assess the extent of the damage and rule out other issues. This helps confirm the diagnosis and guide the most effective treatment plan.
Your ACL Injury Treatment Options
Treatment for an ACL injury is tailored to your age, activity level, and the severity of the tear. For younger, more active patients, especially athletes, surgery is often recommended. For older adults or those with less physically demanding lifestyles, a more conservative approach involving physical therapy may be the best option.
If surgery is needed, it’s typically scheduled at least two weeks after the injury to allow swelling to subside and range of motion to improve. Following surgery, physical therapy plays a key role in restoring strength, stability, and mobility to the knee.
Your provider at Access Sports Medicine will work with you to create a personalized treatment plan that supports your recovery goals, whether that means getting back on the field or simply back to your daily routine.