If you have an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, you will want to know everything you can about the torn ACL treatment that your doctor is going to do for you.
The first step in getting treatment is surgery. There is no way to get around having surgery for a torn ACL.
Because of the nature of the ACL and what it does, it will have to be replaced.
The ACL keeps your thigh bone from rotating on your shin bone.
Once you have damaged your ACL, it can no longer serve this function and it will cause your knee to be unstable and cause you to fall and get even more extensive injuries.
Torn ACL treatment surgery is minimally invasive and is done as an outpatient procedure. You will report to the hospital or clinic in the morning and you will be home by the afternoon or early evening at the latest.
The doctor will get rid of any lingering ligament on your knee and replace it with muscle tissue, usually from another part of your knee.
Once the doctor is sure the tissue is stable enough for weight bearing, the incision site will be closed and you will go home after they are sure that everything is okay with you.
Torn ACL Treatment Long Road Ahead
The nest step in your torn ACL treatment plan is the long recovery process.
After you have the surgery, you need to plan on being out of commission, as it were, for at least four months.
It would be wise to count on being away from regular activities for at least six months though if you are an athlete. It can even take up to nine months before you are able to do what you were able to do in sports before the surgery.
You will work with a physical therapist all during that time and you will have small goals to meet before you can move on to the next phase of recovery.
Some people progress faster than others, so your recovery time may be shorter than the average. Just remember to get the okay from your doctors before going back to your regular activities.
Prevention is the final step in torn ACL treatment. Once you have had an ACL injury, you will realize that you need to be careful not to get another one.
Most athletes can’t afford to repeat the recovery process for ACL injuries – this is especially true for professional athletes.
Always remember to warm up before beginning any type of physical activity and also start a strength conditioning program.
These are the two best ways to prevent further ACL injuries.