ACL
What is an ACL?
The ACL is the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. It lives in the knee and connects the shinbone to the thigh bone. A tear in the ACL is a very common sports injury. According to a 2022 study, this injury occurs more often on turf fields than grass, as playing shoes tend to stick to turf more firmly than grass.
It can take a very long time to recover from an ACL tear, and often, people never make a full recovery. A previous tear makes a player more susceptible to future injury. Tears can keep people off the field for a very long time.
ACL tears can be caused by:
Changing direction rapidly
Stopping suddenly
Slowing down while running
Landing from a jump incorrectly
Direct contact or collision, such as a football tackle
Symptoms
Pain
Swelling
Loss of range of motion
Tenderness
Discomfort while walking
Treatments
Usually surgery is required to fix a torn ACL, but if it is a very minor tear it can be repaired with ice, rest and physical therapy.
potential lasting effects
It is very common to reinjure the same knee years later, and it can lead to cartilage damage.
Prevention
There is no real way to prevent this injury, but watching how you move, exercising and strengthening your leg all help avoid the injury.