There are many injuries that athletes sustain, but maybe one of the injuries most people hear most about is the ACL injury. The reason this is one of the most heard about injuries is because of just how devistating this injury is. The amount of recovery and permanent damage makes it one of the most devastating injuries in sports. There are three different degrees of sprains when talking about ACL injuries. Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3. I would go further into depth as to what all of these mean. I also will detail to causes of this injury, as well as how to identify this injury, treatment, and rehabilitation. Before we go into all of this though, we should go in depth with the anatomy of the knee and what is involved within the knee with this
…show more content…
Grade one sprains happen when the ligament is slightly damaged. The ligament has been slightly stretched and there will be pain, but is still able to help keep the knee stable. Grade two spains stretches the ligament to the point it becomes loose and this is often referred to a s a partial tear. Grade three sprain is the type that most people typically hear about. This sprain is a complete tear of the ligament, it has been split into two pieces and the knee is unstable at this point. Most ACL injuries will result in the third grade tear, as a complete tear. Partial tears are are. They way that these tears can happen can occur in several different ways. These include: quickly changing direction, suddenly stopping, trying to slow down while running, awkward landing after jumping, direct contact on knee joint. There are certain symptoms to look for when assessing an ACL injury. The athlete may hear a popping noise and sudden loss of strength during the injury. Some other things to look for are swelling, loss of range of motion, tenderness along joint, and discomfort while …show more content…
The treatment for the ACL tear is going to be very specific to the grade level of sprain and the patients individual needs and abilities. A young athlete will want surgery to have a quick and safe recovery and to be able to continue his or her sport. Whereas an adult with a less active job may not require surgery to recover safely from the injury. If one were to go the surgery route, the ligament would most likely be reconstructed and have the tissue replaced with a tissue graft. Recovery time for this will be at least six months or even more, before an athlete can return to his or her sport. The focus for rehabilitation from surgery is going to gradually build back strength and range of motion before the athelete returns focus to specific treatment tailored to his or her sport. If one was to take the non surgical route, they would most likely have to wear a brace and given crutches until he or she can start physical therapy to restore function to the
Grade one sprains happen when the ligament is slightly damaged. The ligament has been slightly stretched and there will be pain, but is still able to help keep the knee stable. Grade two spains stretches the ligament to the point it becomes loose and this is often referred to a s a partial tear. Grade three sprain is the type that most people typically hear about. This sprain is a complete tear of the ligament, it has been split into two pieces and the knee is unstable at this point. Most ACL injuries will result in the third grade tear, as a complete tear. Partial tears are are. They way that these tears can happen can occur in several different ways. These include: quickly changing direction, suddenly stopping, trying to slow down while running, awkward landing after jumping, direct contact on knee joint. There are certain symptoms to look for when assessing an ACL injury. The athlete may hear a popping noise and sudden loss of strength during the injury. Some other things to look for are swelling, loss of range of motion, tenderness along joint, and discomfort while …show more content…
The treatment for the ACL tear is going to be very specific to the grade level of sprain and the patients individual needs and abilities. A young athlete will want surgery to have a quick and safe recovery and to be able to continue his or her sport. Whereas an adult with a less active job may not require surgery to recover safely from the injury. If one were to go the surgery route, the ligament would most likely be reconstructed and have the tissue replaced with a tissue graft. Recovery time for this will be at least six months or even more, before an athlete can return to his or her sport. The focus for rehabilitation from surgery is going to gradually build back strength and range of motion before the athelete returns focus to specific treatment tailored to his or her sport. If one was to take the non surgical route, they would most likely have to wear a brace and given crutches until he or she can start physical therapy to restore function to the