Many athletes and active people who exercise and participate in sports can experience strains and injuries as a result of their chosen activities over time. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the largest ligaments in the body and is responsible for providing stability, support, and proper range of motion to the knee.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Los Angeles
Because the knee is one of the most used joints in the body, whether a person is athletic or not, the ACL can be especially prone to strain and injuries in both active and sedentary people alike.
How does a non-athletic and predominantly sedentary person injure the ACL? ACL tears occur as the result of a forceful pivoting or jarring motion to the knee (abruptly coming to a sudden stop for example) and as such can happen to anyone at any time.
Professional sports fans may be familiar with famous athletes who have seeked treatment for an anterior cruciate ligament injury at some point in the recent past, but the reality is that more often than not, ACL tears affect normal people usually throughout the course of regular activities. Women have been known to be three times more likely to experience an ACL tear than men.
Patients suffering from an ACL tear are treated by an orthopedic surgeon. The standard method for reconstructing a torn anterior cruciate ligament is through arthroscopic surgery, which is a minimally invasive procedure that generally allows for faster recovery and healing times and less complications. During this procedure, a surgeon will graft tissue from another part of the patient’s body (or from a donor cadaver) to rebuild the torn ACL.
Next, click here to learn more about ACL rupture treatment.
