Your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of several important ligaments that stabilize your knee when you walk, run, or jump. Your ACL connects your shinbone to your thigh bone and prevents them from sliding too far forward or backward.
One of the most common ways to tear your ACL is by landing on a twisted knee after a leap or jump. However, anything that places undue stress on your knee could tear your ACL. You’re more at risk for an ACL tear if you:
Moving at high speeds increases your risk for an ACL tear. Athletes may tear their ACLs repetitively.
Severe knee pain is the most common symptom of an ACL tear. You might hear a popping sound at the time of the injury.
Other signs of an ACL tear are:
When you tear your ACL, you usually have to stop your game or activity.
Dr. Absi uses small incisions and arthroscopy for ACL reconstruction to minimize trauma and accelerate your recovery. An arthroscope is a miniature camera that he inserts into your knee to transmit a 3-D image to a monitor. This technique allows him to make precise movements with tiny surgical tools.
He first removes your damaged ACL. He then takes a graft from another knee ligament. He threads the graft through angled insertion points that he drilled through the bottom of your thigh bone and top of the shinbone.
After securing the graft and repairing the donor ligament, Dr. Absi withdraws the arthroscope and closes the incisions. He prescribes physical therapy to teach you how to use a crutch during recovery, facilitate healing, and restore strength and flexibility.
