Swelling, Instability, and More: The Common Symptoms of an ACL Injury

If you've recently injured your ACL, you may have experienced a pop or snap at the time of the injury, or you may have felt pain immediately.

Some people don't feel any pain initially but notice that their knee feels "off."

In the hours and days following the injury, it is common to experience swelling around the knee, instability, and difficulty controlling the movement of the knee.

It is also possible to have additional injuries to the meniscus or cartilage in the knee.

If you have injured your ACL, it is important to seek medical attention to properly diagnose and treat the injury.

ACL INJURY - RETURNING TO SPORT WITHOUT SURGERY

A subset of people who suffer an ACL rupture can successfully return to sport without surgery.

We refer to them as copers or responders.

How do we identify them and have a successful return to sport?

1. Screen for suitability - this isn't for everyone
2. Systematically rehab - progression is key
3. Test against objective criteria with minimum standards

84% decrease in ACL re-injury risk using simple decision rules

A recent study outlines simple decision rules that may decrease re-injury risk by up to 84% after ACL reconstruction.

The main take-aways from the study were:

1. Patients who returned to pivoting and cutting sports had a 4.32 times higher re-injury rate than those who did not

2. Re-injury rate was significantly reduced by 51% for each month return to sport was delayed until 9-months after surgery

3. Almost 40% of those who failed return to sport criteria suffered re-injuries versus 5% of those who passed

4.  More symmetrical quads strength prior to return significantly reduced knee injury rate

SEE STUDY HERE