The Anatomy and Injury of the ACL
This research paper will be over the Anatomy of the ACL, or Anterior Cruciate Ligament, and why it is injured so often by everyday people and athletes alike. The part covering the anatomy will go over the following: the location, what it is made of, structure, and its purpose. The part covering the injury will go over the following: different types of injuries and what happens during these injuries, why it is injured so much, diagnosis, the process of the surgery, the steps one has to take in order to recover from an injury, and how to reduce the risk of injury.
I chose this topic simply out of curiosity. Because I am a sports fan and athlete, I have heard many cases of torn and sprained ACLs. Having known …show more content…
It is composed of collagen coordinated into fibers and bundles, which are also known as fascicles. The majority of the composition of the ACL is Type 1 collagen. The rest of the ligament is composed of Types 2 and 3 collagen, and elastin to allow the ACL to be elastic in nature. The collagen fibers of the ACL also accommodate themselves to the bone fibers of the femur and tibia. When this accommodation occurs, the result is a transitional zone comprised of mineralized and plain fibrocartilage. This zone prevents too much stress to be pinpointed onto one spot. This happens because of the shift from tendon to …show more content…
The most common ACL injury seen in adults is a complete tear right through the middle of the ligament, known as midsubstance tears. There is also a more rare injury, identified as an avulsion tear. This occurs when the ACL is stripped completely off the femur. When the patient sustains the injury, he/she often describes a “popping” sensation, promptly followed by severe pain, swelling, and an unstable feeling in the knee. A few hours after these symptoms, the patient will experience tenderness and pain in the knee, large amounts of swelling, and difficulty walking. While these injuries can be rather common, it is odd that in an instance where these types of injuries occur, there is little to no chance that the ACL will naturally repair itself. Because of this, many ACL injuries result in surgery to repair it.
To identify an ACL injury, doctors often look for specific indicators suggesting a tear. Patients who depict a twisting or hypertension are more than likely suffering from a torn ACL. More signs that signal a tear are swelling and the patient having the inability to fully straighten the affected knee. While all these signs point to an ACL injury, a complete examination should be conducted to rule out the possibility of fracture or a torn meniscus tear and confirm an ACL
This research paper will be over the Anatomy of the ACL, or Anterior Cruciate Ligament, and why it is injured so often by everyday people and athletes alike. The part covering the anatomy will go over the following: the location, what it is made of, structure, and its purpose. The part covering the injury will go over the following: different types of injuries and what happens during these injuries, why it is injured so much, diagnosis, the process of the surgery, the steps one has to take in order to recover from an injury, and how to reduce the risk of injury.
I chose this topic simply out of curiosity. Because I am a sports fan and athlete, I have heard many cases of torn and sprained ACLs. Having known …show more content…
It is composed of collagen coordinated into fibers and bundles, which are also known as fascicles. The majority of the composition of the ACL is Type 1 collagen. The rest of the ligament is composed of Types 2 and 3 collagen, and elastin to allow the ACL to be elastic in nature. The collagen fibers of the ACL also accommodate themselves to the bone fibers of the femur and tibia. When this accommodation occurs, the result is a transitional zone comprised of mineralized and plain fibrocartilage. This zone prevents too much stress to be pinpointed onto one spot. This happens because of the shift from tendon to …show more content…
The most common ACL injury seen in adults is a complete tear right through the middle of the ligament, known as midsubstance tears. There is also a more rare injury, identified as an avulsion tear. This occurs when the ACL is stripped completely off the femur. When the patient sustains the injury, he/she often describes a “popping” sensation, promptly followed by severe pain, swelling, and an unstable feeling in the knee. A few hours after these symptoms, the patient will experience tenderness and pain in the knee, large amounts of swelling, and difficulty walking. While these injuries can be rather common, it is odd that in an instance where these types of injuries occur, there is little to no chance that the ACL will naturally repair itself. Because of this, many ACL injuries result in surgery to repair it.
To identify an ACL injury, doctors often look for specific indicators suggesting a tear. Patients who depict a twisting or hypertension are more than likely suffering from a torn ACL. More signs that signal a tear are swelling and the patient having the inability to fully straighten the affected knee. While all these signs point to an ACL injury, a complete examination should be conducted to rule out the possibility of fracture or a torn meniscus tear and confirm an ACL