How to know if your acl is torn?

Oh no! You’ve injured your knee and you’re convinced that your ACL might be torn. Fear not, my friend – this article will walk you through the steps of determining for yourself whether or not that’s indeed the case. Strap on your knee brace and let’s dive right into it!

What Exactly is an ACL?

Before we get started with diagnosing an injury, let’s establish what exactly we’re dealing with here. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is a band of tissue in the center of your knee joint that connects the thigh bone to the shin bone. Its main job is to keep your knee stable as you move around.

Symptoms of a Torn ACL

Now that we know what part of our body we’re talking about, let’s look at some common symptoms associated with a torn ACL:

  • Pain: You’ll probably experience sharp pain when attempting to put weight on your affected leg.
  • Swelling: Like many injuries, swelling in and around the affected area may occur.
  • Stiffness: Jerky movements due to limited mobility can occur immediately after injury
  • Instability You may feel like something ‘gave out’, making activities such as walking down stairs quite challenging.

If you find yourself experiencing all four symptoms simultaneously after trauma caused by rapid deceleration or aggressive changes direction during exercise,it’s time to take action!

Ruling Out Other Injuries

Just because you have some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have a torn ACL; similar injuries exist which pose almost identical problems;

MCL Injury

The Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) sits alongside our tight quad muscles ,and oughts control sideways movement within them as well.So dear reader before continuing further make sure its just superficial and affect of visiting your couch potato uncle.

PCL Injury

Another commonly mistaken injury is our Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL), which runs perpendicular to the ACL and controls backward movement. This one can be ruled out if pain only causes discomfort when moving forward.

The Lachman Test

Ok, now onto actually diagnosing that pesky torn ACL. One of the most common tests doctors use for this purpose is called “the Lachman test”. It involves lying down on your back while a doctor gently tries to move your knee around – what fun!

If there’s excessive forward motion in your affected knee or they see/feel a slight depression below kneecap, then its almost certain that you’ve torn it.Now unfortunately for some of us ‘giggly-Jameses’ watching this meme worthy activity ,this may cause feelings of excitement .

MRI Scan

The More Radiographically Inclined alternative provides quality picture radiographs via magnetic signals so Before scheduling this grossly overpriced visit please liaise with an orthopedic surgeon who’ll help by explaining other options including brace support treatments.In any case listen intently to their recommendations rather than logging into Google Images..

Treating Your Torn ACL

So you’ve confirmed your worst fears: it looks like you really did tear your ACL. What next? Well, don’t panic; while sports pro’s often suffer from chronic degenerative muscular issues related to repeated tears over time,the majority of people recover well from injuries as isolated events.

There are many non-surgical ways treat an injured cruciate ligament;

1) With RICE (Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation) Therapy
2) Limit or Modify physical activities
3) Prescription medication such as anti-inflammatory pills
4) Physical therapy rehabilitation exercises guided by certified professionals

Surgery might not always be necessary, but make sure you get medical advice from a professional before deciding what course of action to take.

Rehabilitation Exercises

If you do end up needing surgery to fix your torn ACL, you can expect a recovery time roughly around 12 months. In this case,you have an excellent opportunity to improve your muscle strength through physiotherapy and intense rehab workout routines.

Conclusion

So there it is, the complete guide on how to tell if you’ve torn your ACL. Remember that while knee injuries may at first feel daunting remember not everyone requires invasive ‘last resort’operations.Speak with professionals who will engage in a diagnosis while giving supplementation focus on joint health exercise strategies.. Regardless of severity though , trust yourself and know that healing takes time.Be sure adjust any physical activities nutritionally too allow maximum healing utilizing tools such as protein shakes,dietary alterations,etc.Best of luck!

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