You’ve
seen basketball star Derrick Rose, golf legend Tiger Woods, and
countless others miss entire seasons just because of the same injury:
a torn anterior cruciate
ligament (ACL). An ACL tear is a common knee injury that affects
one of the four ligaments that stabilizes the knee, and is aptly
considered a nightmare for athletes all over.
Characterized
by hearing a discrete “popping” sound in the knee following a
sudden deceleration or landing maneuver, a torn ACL is also known for
the searing pain it causes. ACL tears are frequent in contact sports
(i.e. boxing) or sports that require rapid changes in direction (i.e.
basketball). Most of the time, the ACL is prone to tearing due to a
twisting movement while supporting weight—landing from a jump, for
example.
Anyone
can tear their ACL with the wrong move or turn. However, women are
indeed more prone to tearing their ACL because of significant
differences in anatomy. Various theories try to explain this
phenomena, with one claiming that women’s knees tend to bend inward
when they land from a jump. Another theory claims that women are more
prone to ACL tears since they’re more “ligament-dominant”
rather than “muscle-dominant.
Surgical
reconstruction of the torn ACL is the most recommended treatment,
though it is almost mandatory for patients who’ve had their ACL
completely ruptured. The procedure involves repairing the torn
ligament using other tissue from the patient’s body, and would
require lengthy rehabilitation periods for full recovery.
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