As more and more young adults most particularly women are engaging in more sports on a year-round basis, a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is increasingly becoming common. Because the recovery process of ACL injury involves intense effort and it is time-consuming, an athlete is likely to cringe on recovering once he or she notices the damage.
While surgery or ACL reconstruction may be required in most cases, it need not be the only solution to an ACL tear. In fact, a patient and doctor can decide whether an operation is needed based on the desired level of activity and the severity of the damage.
What Causes an ACL Injury?
A tear to the anterior cruciate ligament is typically a knee injury that is associated with sports. About eighty percent of ACL injuries relating to Sports are non-contact which implies that the tear happens without any physical contact with another person such as a collision during basketball.
Oftentimes, ACL injury happens during landing or pivoting from a jump. During the damage, the knees give out from underneath.
While taking part in competitive sports, female athletes are more likely to experience ACL tears. The reason why female athletes are more prone to ACL tear is still a mystery. Some scientists attributed this fact to hormonal related, strength, and biomechanical but it probably has to do with all these three factors.
How is an ACL Injury Treated?
Within a few weeks or days, some individuals with ACL tear will begin to feel better. Because the knee swelling has subsided, some patients may start to assume that their knee is completely healed. However, this may be the point when knee giving way or instability may begin or even worse.
As seen earlier, ACL injury does not necessarily need a restoration surgery. There are a lot of essential factors to consider before finally deciding to go for the operation. Some of those elements include:
- Age
- The type of sporting activities you usually engage in
- How often you experience knee instability and
- Your plans for the future
If you have never experienced an unstable knee or it rarely occurs, and you don’t take part in multi-directional activities that patently uses ACL, then there will be no need to undergo an ACL restoration surgery.
Physiotherapy & ACL Exercises
The ideal way of avoiding ACL restoration surgery is undertaking a comprehensive ACL- Deficient Knee Rehabilitation Program that has to do with high-level balance retraining, proprioception, and leg strengthening as well as functioning enhancement and sport-specific agility. A physiotherapist can design an effective ACL tear exercise plan that will be most effective for you. If you’re looking for a qualified therapist to help you with your injury then you can have a look at these physical therapy offices to get started.
Time Taken for ACL to Heal Without Surgery
The method applied in treating ACL tear without surgery is known as conservative management and is often guided by a Physiotherapist.
When at a tender stage, the ACL tear recovery exercises are often painful, repetitious and sometimes intense. Initial therapy will be focused on regain any loss of movement of the knee and reduce the swelling while further treatments will aim at increasing stability, power and strength, particular to your goal activity. Similar to the post-surgery program, this recovery process typically takes six months but returning to normal operations can occur at about three months mark.
In Conclusion
The aim of the rehabilitation exercise after an ACL injury is for the individual to return to their former level of activity be it work, sport or elite and avoid any future occurrences. For more insight about how to treat your ACL tear without going through the troubles of reconstructive surgery, contact Kuer Physio Harley Street.