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ACL Tears

What is the ACL?

The anterior cruciate ligament or ACL)is the main stabilising ligament inside of the knee. Its main function is to prevent the tibia (shin bone) from sliding forward and rotating on the femur (thigh bone). Tears/ruptures of the ligament can result in knee instability

What does the ACL?

The ACL provides stability to the knee, especially during pivtoing or rotating activity, such as when suddenly changing direction on the football pitch.

How do you tear your ACL?

Classically, ACL tears occur during a non-contact pivoting movement. These most commonly occur when changing direction in fast pace sports, such as football, netball and basketball. A fall whilst skiing is also a very common cause of an ACL injury.

ACL tear

Mr Deepu Sethi is an expert orthopaedic knee surgeon specialising in the treatment of ACL tears, in London. He uses cutting-edge techniques to for ACL repair or ACL reconstruction surgery, to restore stability, allowing faster recovery and return to sport. Mr Sethi is one of the highest volume ACL surgeon in the UK.

Torn ACL

How do I know if I have torn my ACL?

ACL injuries are extremely painful and normally are a results of a non-contact pivoting or twisting injury. Calssical symptoms include:

  • Unable to weight bear immediately after the injury

  • Severe pain

  • Rapid swelling of the knee

  • Many people hear a "pop" in the knee

What should I do if I think I have torn my ACL?

An ACL injury is a significant injury and needs to be assessed thoroughly. It is important to exclude other potentially significant injuries, such as a meniscus tear or MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) injury.

After taking a medical history and examining the knee Mr Sethi would be able to give an initial assessment of the knee and probable diagnosis. In the majority of cases, a high quality MRI scan is advised to confirm the diagnosis and assess for other associated injuries. As well as seeing a specialist knee surgery to confirm the diagnosis, input from a physiotherapist is vital to help regain knee range of motion and muscle strength.

What does ACL surgery involve?

ACL surgery involves taking graft tissue (commonly a hamstring or quadriceps graft) and fixing it into the knee, to create a "new" ACL

How long does it take to recover from surgery?

Normally surgery is carried out   general anaesthetic (so you are asleep) and as  a daycase, so you can go home on the same day as surgery. Most people would be on crutches for 3-4 weeks following surgery. However a full recovery with view to a return to all sport can often take up to a year. During this tine it is essential to have a supervised physiotherapy programme.

Do I need surgery if I have a torn my ACL?

Not all patients who tear their ACL require surgery. The initial pain and swelling after an injury normally settle over the following days and weeks. If you want to return to pivoting sports, such as football, netball and basketball, surgery may be beneficial to provide stability and confidence when returning to sport.

What is the treatment for an ACL tear?

Treatment can be divided into two broad groups:

  • Non-operative or conservative surgery. The focus is on physiotherpy to rebuild muscle strength, to support the knee and regain range of motion.

  • Surgery, to reconstruct the ACL and restore stability to the knee.

Can the ACL tear be repaired?

In recent years there has been more interest in ACL repair (stitching the torn ACL together), instead or reconstructing it using other graft tissue. Whilst some have published promising results from ACL repair, it does appear to have a higher failure rate compared to ACL reconstruction and depending on the pattern of tear, not all ACL tears would be suitable for repair.

ACL reconstruction
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