As many of us go back to playing organised sport and enjoying recreational activities, the risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries will increase. One of the most common and serious injuries among young and active populations is damage to the ACL or the Anterior Cruciate Ligament of the knee. The ACL is a piece of connective tissue that connects the thigh bone to the shin bone and adds stability to the knee.
60-80% of injuries to the ACL occur from non-contact situations such as landing heavily on one leg or during a sidestepping manoeuvre. Patient’s may experience a ‘popping’ sensation at the time of the injury and there is often significant pain and swelling of the knee.
Depending on the severity of the injury, the specialist may advise surgical repair of the ligament or conservative management without surgery. The rehabilitation process is extensive for surgical and non surgical management and can take up to and above twelve months for full return to sport. Physiotherapists will prescribe different types of exercises depending on the stage of recovery and guide you through the whole process. Initially exercises will focus on improving knee range of movement and in the later stages exercises will be more sport specific.
There are several injury prevention programs aimed at reducing the risk of athletes getting ACL injuries. These programs include appropriate warmups/cool downs, foundational strength training and movement coordination training.
If you are recovering from an ACL injury or are interested in reducing your risk of ligament injuries, please call our clinic today to see one of our experience therapists.