Torn knee ligament:<br>The most common football injury

Dr M Ali

The football season is on. World cup fever has affected almost every people in Bangladesh. Many guys are now crazy watching football and playing in the field at the same time. During playing football, an injury commonly occurs called Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury. Maybe this is not exactly how your football fantasy ends, but for many football players, it is! With the season in full swing, it is usual to hear about a major injury like torn ACL. Knowing about the injury, will definitely help you to take the proper action. If you look at the current list of injured football players, you will find that a significant number of injured are suffering from ACL injury. ACL injury is in fact the most excruciating among all football injuries. ACL is a ligament of the knee which helps stabilising the body and helps you changing direction quickly. When torn, usually after a bad twist, the injured person usually hears a popping sound followed by experiencing extreme pain and swelling. Anyone moving in a side motion (tennis players, skiers, football players, anyone who walks, etc.) is at risk for an injured ACL, but football players have the highest risk. There can be a partial or complete tear to the ligament. Whatever the cause, ACL injuries usually mean players are out for the season to receive treatment. For unprofessional players, ACL injury restricts movement for long period. Treatment usually depends on the type of injury, but almost all patients will have to go through some type of rehabilitation or even surgery. Some experts suggest that two-thirds of the patients with an ACL injury will not require reconstruction and can usually become fully functional with aggressive rehabilitation. The rehab involves range of motion exercises, gentle knee extensions, as well as stretching. Reconstructive surgery is an arthroscopic surgery, which involves using a camera that allows the doctor to repair or reconstruct tissues around joints. Once the doctor makes an incision in your knee and removes a portion of your knee cap, he then inserts Titanium screws to replace the torn ACL. It is imperative to get the motion in your knee back as quickly as possible (after resting for a few days) to prevent a permanent loss of motion ("contracture"). This is achieved with various exercises. It is great if you have access to a gym or physical therapy. If not, then do home bound exercises as prescribed by your doctor. Even if you plan to have the ACL reconstructed, most orthopaedic surgeons will not reconstruct your knee until you have regained your motion. The reason is simple — if you start off with a stiff knee before surgery, you will end up with a stiff knee after surgery. Tearing the ACL is definitely the most devastating injury in the sport of football. Some of the most gifted athletes have had their careers put in jeopardy because of this injury. So it is better to strengthen our knees with warm up and exercise before going to the ground.
The writer is Consultant Knee Surgeon at Apollo Knee Clinic in Apollo Hospitals Dhaka. E-mail:m.ali@apollodhaka.com