Torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)

The most common ACL tear symptoms include:

• feeling or hearing a loud pop or popping noise in your knee when the injury happens

• swelling that comes on very quickly

• tenderness around the joint

• severe pain – especially when you try to put weight on your knee

• weakness or feeling like your knee has given out

• not being able to move your knee very much

Anything that puts too much pressure on your knee can tear your ACL. These injuries happen when the knee moves or twists more than it naturally should.

Suddenly slowing down and changing direction, pivoting with your foot firmly planted, landing awkwardly from a jump, stopping suddenly, or colliding with another player or object can all damage the ACL, which may be triggered by:

• sports injuries

• car accidents

• falls

It means while anyone can tear their ACL, you’re more at risk of it if you play:

• football

• basketball

• gymnastics

• lacrosse

A doctor or specialist can usually diagnose a torn ACL by examining your knee, asking about your symptoms and the injury, and running certain tests, such as an X-ray, a CT or an MRI scan.

You might not always be able to avoid tearing your ACL, especially if you play sports. But you can reduce your risk of it happening by:

• wearing protective equipment

• not playing through any knee pain

• resting enough after intense exercise

• warming up and cooling down before and after playing sports or exercising

• following knee and lower body strengthening routines

• clearing your home of clutter, which could lead to a fall

• using a cane to walk, if you’re at risk of falls

The injury that caused your ACL to tear may also have affected other parts of your knee, such as your:

• medial collateral ligament (MCL)

• lateral collateral ligament (LCL)

• posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)

This may mean you find it hard to walk properly and go about daily activities. Other injuries that can happen at the same time as an ACL tear include bone fractures, meniscus tears, and muscle strains. ACL tears can also lead to a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knee.

The first stage of treatment for a torn ACL is to reduce pain and swelling quickly. For this, you’ll need to rest, ice, compress, and elevate your knee often (RICE).

Medical treatment starts with rehabilitative therapy, where a physiotherapist teaches you exercises to improve the flexibility, range of motion, and strength of the ligaments and muscles in your knee. You may also need to wear a brace and use crutches to avoid putting weight on it.

If your injury wasn’t severe, or you don’t play sports, this may be all that’s needed. Otherwise, further treatment involves ACL reconstruction surgery. 

This is called a knee arthroscopy, where a surgeon removes your damaged ligament and replaces it with a small piece of tendon from another part of your knee, or from a donor’s.

You’re more likely to need ACL reconstruction surgery if:

• you're an athlete and want to continue playing in your sport

• more than one ligament in your knee was injured

• your knee buckles during everyday activities

After surgery, you'll need another course of rehabilitative therapy, which, along with ACL surgery, can help restore full stability and function to your knee.

At Welbeck, our orthopaedic consultants are experts in their field and are dedicated to providing world-class care to every patient.

With access to colleagues across other specialties, our consultants are also able to refer within the Welbeck ecosystem if required to ensure you receive the treatment you need as quickly as possible, all under one roof.  

All appointments, testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments take place within our state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to deliver accurate diagnostics and advanced treatments.

Your health is important to us, so we strive to offer same-day appointments whenever possible.

Our consultants are recognised by the major health insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, your treatment at Welbeck can begin once you have obtained authorisation. We also provide care to self-paying patients. Learn more about the different payment options at Welbeck.

Get in touch today to book an appointment.