07 Dec Did you twist your knee during netball and felt a sharp pain causing you to collapse with pain

Or perhaps you got tackled at rugby and continued to play but hobbled off the field with some soreness only to find you couldn’t move your knee the next morning
Perhaps you hurt your knee at the gym and thought nothing of it but a few days later you are struggling to walk because of knee pain and swelling

If you answered yes to any of the above scenarios, then you may have injuries your Anterior Cruciate Ligament ( ACL) in your knee! The ACL is one of the major ligaments in your knee.

Injuries to the ACL are relatively common knee injuries among athletes.They occur most frequently in those who play sports involving pivoting and sudden change in directions (e.g. rugby, basketball, netball, soccer, downhill skiing). They can range from mild (such as small tears/sprain) to severe (when the ligament is completely torn). ACL injuries can occur in with both contact and non-contact, with females tending to have a higher incidence rate of ACL injury than males.

In the past, Complete ACL tears were often managed with surgery to repair it, but recently there has been evidence indicating that ACL ruptures can be successfully managed without surgery and that having surgery did not give better outcomes in the long term. After an ACL injury, regardless of whether surgery will take place or not, physiotherapy management focuses on regaining range of movement, strength, proprioception and stability. 

One recent research has shown that a person’s beliefs is the key factor in determining success in ACL rehabilitation, because it requires a highly motivated individual to achieve optimal recovery after an ACL injury. A highly motivated individual is more likely to comply and follow through on rehabilitation for a successful outcome.

If you are a highly motivated individual who wants a great outcome from your ACL injury, pre and post operation, or if you want Expert Physiotherapist support and help to overcome your ACL injury, Ring My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 to book and appointment with one of our Expert Physiotherapists today!