As the premier physiotherapy clinic treating sports injuries in Brampton, we at Paramount Physiotherapy & Sports Injuries Clinic are experts in helping you through an ACL tear from soccer. ACL tears from soccer and other sports are not only an athlete’s nightmare. They’re also dangerously common. Physiotherapy and proper medical attention cannot only help an athlete heal from a tear much faster, but it can also work toward preventing ACL tears in the first place. Let’s walk through an ACL injury, from the cause through the symptoms to healing and prevention through physiotherapy.
The cause
An ACL injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (otherwise known as the ACL) tears. The ACL, one of four major ligaments in the knee, is the most commonly injured. Another common injury is the so-called “unhappy triad,” where three of the major ligaments are torn simultaneously: the anterior cruciate ligament, the medial collateral ligament and the medial meniscus. An ACL or the unhappy triad tears most often in non-contact sports situations, such as during the landing of a jump, the sudden pivot of a running player or a twist and change of direction. A torn ACL will literally feel like your knee gives out beneath you. A “pop” sound followed by swelling and pain are symptoms of a torn ACL.
The healing
A torn ACL will often begin to heal on its own over a few days or weeks, but instability and weakness can continue to be a problem. In some cases, surgery may be prescribed in order to reconstruct the torn ligaments to aid healing. But in all cases, physiotherapy will rehabilitate the knee to aid healing as well as restore its full stability, motion and functionality. Often, rigorous physiotherapy can be an alternative to reconstructive surgery as well. Physiotherapy for a torn ACL focuses on strengthening the muscles that work with and depend on the ligaments in the knee, including the thigh muscles and calf muscles, to restore strength, balance and range of motion.
The Prevention
After an ACL injury, the biggest dangers to the full functionality and healing of your knee are continued weakness or returning weakness, imbalance or stiffness. Additionally, once injured and without proper treatment, care and rehabilitation, your knee can be more susceptible to repeat injury, especially as an athlete. After an initial run of rigorous physiotherapy treatment to heal the injury, continued though less intense physiotherapy will ensure that your knee will remain strong and continue healing. Continued physiotherapy will focus on strengthening the knee over time, improving and maintaining range of motion through medical stretching and minimizing chances of re-injury by focusing on proper alignment and form.
An ACL injury of any magnitude is a serious trauma for an athlete, and quick, professional and proper care and treatment will make the difference between permanent damage and a fully functioning knee. For more information about ACL and sports injuries in Brampton or to speak with a specialist, call the experts at Paramount Physiotherapy & Sports Injuries Clinic today.