Common sense on what to do if your knee ligament is torn

The knee ligaments are very tough and are the key factor in stabilizing the knee joint. After a knee ligament tear, the patient will experience severe pain and daily activities will become difficult. When the knee ligament is not completely torn, the patient needs long-term rest and adjustment, but when the knee ligament is completely torn, the patient needs corresponding surgery to repair it. The specific situation is described as follows.

The main ligaments of the knee joint are: anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and lateral collateral ligament;

The anterior cruciate ligament is one of two ligaments that span the middle of the knee joint, connecting the thigh bone (femur) and the shin bone (tibia), which can stabilize the knee joint;

The knee joint bears the weight of the body and the impact force during exercise, and is easily damaged, among which anterior cruciate ligament injury is the most common.

Most ACL injuries occur during sports and fitness activities;

Injuries are most common in sports that involve sudden stops and turns, such as basketball, football, rugby, and volleyball.

Common conditions that may lead to anterior cruciate ligament tears include:

When you suddenly slow down and turn at the same time;

Rotate the body while the feet are fixed;

When you sprain or hyperextend your knee

What are the types of anterior cruciate ligament tears?

According to the degree of tearing, it can be divided into incomplete tearing and complete tearing;

When the anterior cruciate ligament is not completely torn, if the patient has stopped high-intensity sports involving sudden stops and turns and is able to rest for a long time, the partially torn anterior cruciate ligament can usually be well restored through conservative treatment and physical therapy. At this time, reconstructive surgery is not necessary.

When the anterior cruciate ligament is completely torn, the two ends of the broken ligament cannot be directly sutured back; if you want to restore the original function of the ligament to the greatest extent, most of the time you need to use ligament substitutes (including: ligaments taken from other parts of the patient's thigh, ligaments from body donors, or artificial synthetic ligaments) for reconstructive surgery.

What is ACL reconstruction surgery?

One of many surgical methods: Take the "patellar bone-patellar tendon-tibia" from the patient's healthy side (normal leg) as a transplant material, implant it on the affected side, and then fix it with screws.

This operation refers to the surgical method of using ligament substitutes (including: ligaments taken from other parts of the patient's thigh, ligaments from deceased donors, or artificial ligaments, etc.) to reconstruct the function of the anterior cruciate ligament;

This surgery is usually done through several small incisions about 1 centimeter long around the knee joint. A thin arthroscope is used to guide the positioning of the ACL insertion.