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ACL Tears and Rehabilitation for Athletes

ACL Tears and Rehabilitation for Athletes. By: Lauren Gregg Tech and Assess . The ACL. A nterior C rucial L igament One of four ligaments in the knee that basically holds the knee together Provides stability. Injury to the ACL. ACL injuries typically occur to athletes

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ACL Tears and Rehabilitation for Athletes

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  1. ACL Tears and Rehabilitation for Athletes By: Lauren Gregg Tech and Assess

  2. The ACL • Anterior Crucial Ligament • One of four ligaments in the knee that basically holds the knee together • Provides stability

  3. Injury to the ACL • ACL injuries typically occur to athletes • 80% are non contact • More common in females because of different hip structure • Most prevalent in soccer, football, basketball, skiing, and rugby

  4. How ACL tears occur • Most come from pivoting or landing from a jump • The knee gives out from under the athlete when it is torn • Most tears occur in athletics • Other tears can occur in motor vehicle collisions, falls, and work related injuries

  5. ACL Tear Video • ACL Tear (Sports Injury)

  6. MRI • Necessary to be sure that the ligament is torn and to see how bad the tear is • Helps decide what type of surgery is needed and on which ligaments

  7. Pre Surgery • Important to do exercises before surgery to regain muscle strength and ROM • Hamstring and quadriceps exercises • Full range of motion: biking, straightening and bending knee all the way, etc.

  8. ACL Surgery • Done several weeks after injury occurs • Reconstructed using a cadaver or other ligaments in body • Patellar tendon, hamstring, etc

  9. Post Surgery • Knee joint loses flexibility • Little to no range of motion • Muscles around knee and thigh atrophy

  10. Rehabilitation • Most important part of the surgery process • Very lengthy time period (usually 6-8 months until full recovery) • required to regain pre-surgery strength and use

  11. Six Phases of Rehab • Phase One: early rehab phase; reduce pain and swelling • Phase Two: weeks 3 and 4; joint protection • Phase Three: weeks 4-6; more difficult exercises to increase ROM

  12. (cont.) • Phase Four: weeks 6-8; moderate protection, try to gain full ROM • Phase Five: weeks 8-10; light activity phase • Phase Six: week 10 until recovery; full activity

  13. Stretching/ROM Exercises • Quadriceps stretches • Hamstring stretches

  14. Range of Motion • Stationary Bike • Increases strength and range of motion • It is non weight bearing, which is good for the joints • Improves stability • Builds up quadriceps muscles

  15. Strength Training • Hamstring Curl • Step ups • Wall slide • Straight leg raises

  16. YouTube Video Knee Strengthening/Rehab Exercises

  17. Sports and ACL Tears • Athletes have high demands for cutting, pivoting, jumping, planting, and turning • All athletes need functioning ACLs • Those who do not play sports can get through their daily lives without an ACL

  18. The Athletes • Here are some athletes who have torn their ACLs and are still extremely successful

  19. Female Athletes more at Risk • Caroline Doty (below) plays for University of Connecticut and tore her ACL for the THIRD time last season • wider hips; ligament laxity at certain stages of the menstrual cycle • the smaller size of the notch the ligament connects to the femur in the upper leg • a tendency to land straight-legged and knock-kneed; • core instability; a greater imbalance than men in the strength of the hamstring to the quadriceps, or thigh muscle

  20. ACL Prevention • Warm up • Stretching • Strengthening • Plyometrics • Agilities • Cool down

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