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Your questions answered: Mr Neil Jain on ACL injuries
Mr Neil Jain is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon specialising in sports injuries at The Wilmslow Hospital. His expertise covers keyhole surgery for damage to knees and shoulders, including ligament and cartilage injuries, dislocation and rotator cuff repairs.
What is the ACL and what happens when it is injured?
The anterior cruciate ligament, commonly known as the ACL, is one of the strongest bands of tissue that connects your thigh bone (femur) to your shinbone (tibia). If this tears, or is damaged in some other way, you may hear or feel a "popping / snapping / cracking" sensation in the knee, which may swell quickly, feel unstable and become too painful to weight bear or do any type of exercise.
How do these injuries usually happen?
ACL injuries often occur during high-impact sports activities like football, netball or skiing, where you may have suddenly slowed down, landed awkwardly or changed direction too quickly. When the ACL is damaged, there is usually a complete tear, but a milder injury may overstretch the ligament, but ultimately leave it intact. Interestingly, female athletes are often more susceptible to ACL tears for many reasons including to anatomical differences such as wider hips and different knee alignments, and the involvement of hormones, oestrogen and relaxin, which increase the likelihood of injuries as the joint is more flexible.
When is the best way of fixing an ACL injury?
Surgery is often the best way to recover from an ACL injury. Ultimately, we want to get it fixed as quickly as possible so that you can get back to enjoying life as safely as possible. Keyhole surgery can be done, minimising further scar tissue and shortening recovery times. After that, you’ll will need physiotherapy to rebuild strength. Occasionally some patients may recover sufficiently with physiotherapy alone and no surgery, but your consultant will be able to advise. We’ll always tailor treatments to your unique health needs, getting you moving well and back to peak performance.