LIVING WELL By Jay Saenz, MD
Advice on ACL Tears from an Orthopedic Surgeon Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are one of the more common, potentially debilitating knee injuries with more than 200,000 occurring annually in the United States.
WHAT IS THE ACL? It’s one of the four main stabilizing ligaments of the knee, and when it is torn the bones that form the knee joint move an abnormal amount.
SYMPTOMS OF A TEAR A tear can cause pain as well as dysfunction that manifests as some or all of the below symptoms. Often people who tear the ACL do not trust it enough to continue to participate in rigorous physical activity. Some even have difficulty with normal daily activities such as walking, bending, climbing stairs, etc. Common symptoms include: • A popping noise and the feeling of the knee giving way out from under the body • Pain with swelling • Loss of full range of motion • Tenderness along the joint line • Discomfort while walking
DO I NEED TO HAVE SURGERY? Surgery is not always required when the ACL is torn. For active people, however, surgery is often necessary to restore stability to the knee and to prevent future injury.
A NON-OPERATIVE APPROACH In order to be a reasonable candidate for non-operative treatment, several criteria must be met. If your knee still feels stable during normal daily activities and you are willing to give up high-intensity sports and exercise, then you may be able to be treated without surgery. A small number of patients are able to return to vigorous physical activities after non-operative treatment of an ACL tear, but they are relatively uncommon and it is often
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Dr. Saenz is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, and has a special interest in arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder and knee as well as knee and hip replacement surgery. He is committed to helping patients to fully understand the nature of their injury or condition, as well as maximizing all non-operative treatment measures before proceeding with surgery. For more information visit Orthosouth.org or call 901.641.3000.
