A 35-year-old member asked:
what can i do to decrease the odds of developing anterior cruciate ligament injury?
2 doctor answers • 10 doctors weighed in
Dr. Darren Corteenanswered
Orthopedic Surgery 25 years experience
Optimize mechanics: In young females there is good evidence that therapy programs designed to optimize knee/body mechanics with activities that involve cutting and jumping can reduce the incidence of acl injuries. Developed programs are more likely found around larger cities. Alternatively one could avoid activities associated wtih higher incidence of acl injury (basketball, soccer, football, down-hill skiing, etc).
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Matthew Ennaanswered
Orthopedic Surgery 20 years experience
A few ideas...: Sometimes, plain bad luck leads to an acl injury. Missing a step, tripping and falling, playing with a child, etc. That being said, there are things you can do to minimize your risk of tearing your acl: avoid contact sports such as tackle football and rugby. Avoid skiing. Work on strengthening the muscles about your knee, including your hamstrings and quadriceps.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Similar questions
A 29-year-old member asked:
What are the common signs and symptoms of an anterior cruciate ligament injury?
2 doctor answers • 8 doctors weighed in
Dr. G Jason Huntanswered
Orthopedic Surgery 16 years experience
Pain, Instability: The most common symptoms are pain, swelling of the knee, and instability. Suspected ACL injuries should be evaluated by your orthopedic surgeon.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
How will having anterior cruciate ligament injury affect my long-term health?
2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in
Dr. Chittur Ananthakrishnananswered
Orthopedic Reconstructive Surgery 54 years experience
Depends on multiple: Anyone with a cruciate injuriy responds differently depending on a lot of factors, like age activity/demand levels; athletic status overall and specifically the status and shape of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles and also concurrent injury to other knee structures.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old member asked:
What are the symptoms of anterior cruciate ligament injury I should be looking for?
3 doctor answers • 8 doctors weighed in
Dr. Darren Corteenanswered
Orthopedic Surgery 25 years experience
Instability: The hallmark of an acl deficient knee is instability or giving way of the knee with higher level activities involving cutting, jumping, pivoting, etc. Some individuals may experience this with routine day to day activities. The initial injury is often described as feeling a "pop" in the knee and followed by development of considerable swelling and variable pain.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
What are the tests for anterior cruciate ligament injury?
1 doctor answer • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Robert Purchaseanswered
Orthopedic Surgery 23 years experience
PE and MRI: The first step is checking for an acl injury is talking to the patient about their injury and doing a good physical exam of the knee (pe). At this point, most skilled doctors will have a strong suspicion that the acl is torn. X-rays are usually done to make sure there isn't a bad bone injury. Often a MRI is obtained to confirm the diagnosis and look for other, associated injuries.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
How long does it take to recover completely from a anterior cruciate ligament injury?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Scott Slatteryanswered
Sports Medicine 31 years experience
Variable time: If you choose non-operative treatment, usually within 6 wks the swelling will gone and the motion will be normal if you work at it. Regaining full strength may take several months. If you continue to play sports after this you may still have a very unstable knee as a complete acl tear does not heal. If surgery is chosen, the typical time for full safe return to sports is around 9 mos to 1 year.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Last updated Nov 8, 2015
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