All it takes is one quick movement and in a matter of a split second, an athlete’s entire season (and sometimes multiple seasons) takes a turn for the worse. Anyone who has experienced or witnessed an anterior cruciate ligament tear can relate to the stories of hearing that dreaded “popping” sound.
In contact sports that require quick movement and frequent change of direction, injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament are common. If an athlete stops suddenly, lands from a jump incorrectly, sustains direct impact to their knee or changes direction rapidly in a manner that puts stress on the joint, they may soon find themselves looking for ACL injury physicians in their local area.
Of course, ACL sprains and tears are not limited only to athletes. Anyone can sustain an injury to this knee ligament and that’s why it’s important for everyone to stay informed about the facts related to ACL injuries.
Four Facts ACL Injury Physicians Want You to Know
Unfortunately, ACL injuries are usually sustained in conjunction with other knee injuries as well, including damage to cartilage or other ligaments. For this reason, the injury often requires surgical intervention.
ACL tears are very common among adolescent-aged athletes. Highschool football, soccer, and basketball players are frequent patients in the ACL injury physicians’ offices at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute. The sports medicine specialists there are highly-qualified in diagnosing and treating injuries to the ACL and are widely-known throughout the region for their work with young patients.
ACL tears are one of the most common knee injuries and they are diagnosed by assigning a sprain level, which describes the extent to which the ligament has been stretched, loosened or torn.
Most occurrences of this injury are full tears and while that does mean surgery is necessary to regain full function of the knee, modern medical advancements in the field of orthopedics are making this surgery (and the recovery process) more streamlined and even more successful than ever!
Call Rothman Orthopaedic Institute today at 1-800-321-9999 to set up an appointment with one of our ACL injury physicians.