ACL injuries are common in athletes who jump, pivot, twist, or make sudden cutting movements. Girls are four to six times more likely than men to injure the ACL. Scientists aren’t sure why but they are studying this problem closely.

The latest findings suggest a problem with neuromuscular control. Any muscle weakness, loss of power, or failure to activate the muscles can lead to increased knee load. When the load is too much for the muscles, the ligaments tear or rupture.

One thing to watch for is a difference in strength from side to side. If one leg is 20 percent (or more) stronger than the other leg, there may be a neuromuscular imbalance. An athletic trainer or physical therapist can test you on a variety of hopping tasks. Any differences from side to side may help identify areas of weakness. Neuromuscular training for specific deficits is recommended.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com. The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of a visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

There may not be an easy, straightforward answer to this question. Let’s go over some of the considerations.

If the tendon graft is taken from the same leg, then only one leg is affected. The patient can shift the weight off that leg during the early days after the surgery.

Repairing the knee with donor tissue from the other leg means both sides are affected. There have been a few cases reported of problems developing from overload of the donor side.

This is more likely during the first 24-hours when the patient is still under the influence of anesthesia and drugs to limit pain. Without complete sensation, the patient can put too much load on the donor leg. The result can be an avulsion fracture. The remaining (weakened) patellar tendon pulls away from the bone.

On the plus side, taking donor tissue from the other leg leaves less trauma to the reconstructed knee. Rehab can progress along much faster.

Most surgeons use donor tissue from the same side. Talk to your surgeon about his or her preferences and reasons for choosing one over the other.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com. The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of a visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

Knee pain, swelling, and giving way two years after ACL repair are signs and symptoms that the joint is unstable. If you haven’t gone back to your orthopedic surgeon, now would be a good time to make an appointment.

It may be a simple case of muscular weakness or imbalance. Sometimes such problems can be taken care of with a rehab program. In other cases there may be other (unknown) damage to the joint. Perhaps there’s a torn meniscus or some osteoarthritis developing.

Worst-case scenario: the repaired ACL may have failed. Further testing is needed to find out what’s wrong. The chances are good that treatment is available that can get you back to the activities you like.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com. The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of a visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

If you are satisfied with the results then you have nothing to regret or wonder about.

Researchers agree the two methods have equally good results. There may be complicationsfrom time to time. These differ between the two types of repair.

The hamstring graft is a little nicer looking cosmetically. It gives a strong graft fixation early on. The hamstring may not be able to tolerate motion right away.

The patellar graft seems to help athletes get back into high-level action more often. There are still some problems with kneeling and quadriceps muscle weakness after a patellar tendon graft.

Overall patients report satisfaction with function and results after either type of graft repair.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com. The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of a visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

Simply put he’s having trouble straightening his knee all the way or with full strength. This is a common problem with ACL repairs using the patellar-tendon graft.

A small piece of tendon from below the kneecap along with a piece of bone on either sideof it can be harvested and used to replace the torn ACL. The quadriceps muscle along the front of the thigh straightens the knee. It’s attached to the patellar tendon. Removing apiece of the tendon can disrupt the way the muscle pulls.

This problem is usually taken care of with a good rehab program. The fact that your son is aware of the deficit is a good sign that his rehab team is working on it.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com. The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of a visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the most commonly injured parts of the knee. Doctors have been studying this injury for many years now. They’ve seen that one-third of the patients with an ACL tear heal well and return to full activities. One-third of the injured patients will heal, but they’ll give up many activities. One-third will do poorly and need surgery to repair the tear. For the patient and physician, the trick is to tell which patients will heal and who will need surgery. Researchers still don’t know why or how the top third heal and the middle third compensate while the last third require surgery.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com.The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

  Most ACL injuries occur when the knee is perfectly straight or slightly bent. This type of injury can happen when a player is running, jumping, or standing still. In soccer, the ACL is most likely to be injured when a player is running and changing directions quickly, stopping suddenly, or twisting the body over the foot. Jumping and landing on the foot with the knee twisted can also cause problems.

New technology has allowed researchers to measure the strain placed on the ACL. One important discovery has been that stopping suddenly (rapid deceleration) puts a high level of strain on the ACL. This occurs when the foot makes contact with the ground and the leg is at its straightest. Doctors and physical therapists are working together to develop an exercise program that will prevent these types of injuries.

The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic. For more information on this subject, visit www.zehrcenter.com.