Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

An anterior cruciate ligament injury is a sports injury that often orrures from an impact to the knee or when you twist your leg. For example when you get kicked in the knee from the side or when you land a twisted martial arts jump like the butterfly twist or the whirlwind kick on a sticky floor. Find more injury related information at injuries main.

Description: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

  • The knee is stabilized by 2 collateral ligaments and 2 cruciate ligamants. The collateral ligaments are on the sides of the knee and the cruciate ligaments are inside the knee (x shape) and connect the femur with the tibia. The 2 crossed ligaments inside the knee joint are the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Those 2 ligaments are essential for the stability of the knee joint. The ACL avoids that the tibia is shifted forward beyond the femur and can be injured if you twist your knee or suffer an impact from the side. Usually from the outside.
    In martial arts this can occur from: A kick in the knee, a bad landed side flip, slanted cartwheels without hands where you knock your foot on the ground sideways, butterfly twists or whirlwind kicks on a sticky ground with sticky shoes, etc.

Symptoms: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

  • You might feel / hear a pop when the injury orruces.
  • Especially at the beginning an anterior cruciate ligament injury is very very painful.
  • Swelling & Inflammation.
  • Knee can not be extended totally. (see anterior drawer test - where you extend your leg against a restance)
  • Tenderness at the medial side of the joint - also indicate a meniscal damage.

Who is susceptible: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

  • Foll contact martial artists - especially when you fight against MT-fighters who often use low roundhouse kicks.
  • Trickers and extreme martial artists.
  • Football or rugby players. (often get hit from the side)
  • Wrestlers (especially when you get thrown sideways)

Treatment: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

  • Apply ice and a compression bandage shortly after the injury.
  • A doctor will tell you how bad your ACL injury is. (consulting a doctor is necessary) He will subscribe a rehabilitation program, inflammation medication or surgery. In elder, less active people, surgery is not advised. ACL Sugery Procedure: Fix the rupture or use a part of a ligament from somewhere else in your body to fix the anterior cruciate ligament if the ligament is already too short or too stiff to be connected again. Reocuperation time after an ACL surgery: Between 5 and 9 month
  • I once suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury when i landed an acrobaic twisted jump on one leg on a sticky ground (in china) . I didn't consult a doctor but i was lucky. After 2 month i could walk again. After 3 month i could run again and after 4 month i did my first jumps again.

Trainer advice: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

  • Consult a sports injury specialist as soon as possible after the injury.
  • Warm up sufficient and use mats to learn acrobatic jumps.
  • Use knee supports if you recently had a anterior cruciate ligament injury and don't go back to risky techniques and exercises too soon.

Videos: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

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