Sports Injury

What Chiropractic Patients Want To Know About ACL Injuries

ACL injuries are some of the most common sports-related injuries that doctors and chiropractors see. It occurs when one of the ligaments in the knee, the ACL, is torn. If left untreated, it can cause the person to have difficulty moving their knee or controlling its movements because of the breakdown of knee support. When this happens, the bones of the joint often rub against each other. Over time this can cause a condition called chronic ACL deficiency. Osteoarthritis can also occur due to the bones rubbing against each other, eroding the cartilage and meniscus. A chiropractor can help reduce the pain of an ACL injury and help prevent further damage.

What is an ACL Injury?

The anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is a major ligament in the knee that connects the femur (thighbone) to the tibia (shinbone) in the knee joint and provides stability for the knee. An ACL injury does not occur gradually, but instead usually happens suddenly. Most often they happen when a person is playing sports and jumps, stops suddenly, or makes a sudden change in direction. Soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, downhill skiing, gymnastics, and football.

What causes an ACL injury?

Sports and fitness activities, typically ones that place stress on the knee, are the most common causes of ACL injury. Specific actions that can lead to the tears include:

  • Pivoting when the foot is planted firmly
  • Sudden stops
  • Cutting or slowing and changing direction suddenly
  • Landing incorrectly from a jump
  • Being involved in a collision where the knee is hit or it causes any of the other listed actions
  • Receiving a direct, sudden, hard hit to the knee

The resulting tear can be minor and small or it can be severe, including a complete tear. In very mild cases, the ligament may be overextended but still intact.

What are the symptoms of an ACL injury?

People who experience an ACL injury will often hear a loud POP when it occurs. Other symptoms of an ACL injury include:

  • Severe or intense pain
  • Swelling (begins in the first few hours after the injury)
  • A feeling that the knee is unstable
  • A popping sensation in the knee
  • The knee feels like it “gives away” when bearing weight
  • Unable to continue the activity they were doing when the injury occurred
  • Loss of or decreased range of motion

Who is most at risk of having an ACL injury?

Statistically, when both men and women are participating in the same sports, women are more likely to sustain an ACL injury. Research shows that, generally speaking, women have a tendency to have an imbalance of strength in their thighs. Specifically, the quadriceps, the muscles in the front are typically stronger that the hamstrings, the muscles in the back. It’s the hamstrings that work to keep the shinbone from extending too far forward – the type of movement that overextends the ACL. Additionally, men and women athlete jump differently with women more likely to land in a manner that places extra stress on the knees.

How is an ACL injury treated?

There are several treatments for an ACL injury. Immediate treatment can help reduce swelling and pain that the injury causes. The R.I.C.E. model is the recommended self-care that the patient can do at home:

  • Rice
  • Ice
  • Compression
  • Elevation

In some cases, surgery may be recommended, but usually the best course of treatment includes physical therapy and chiropractic care. The knee may be braced and the patient may have to rest for a while before beginning physical therapy. A chiropractor can help not only treat the ACL injury, but also help correct any muscular imbalances that the patient may have.

Best Knee Injury Chiropractor (2019!)

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The information herein on this entire blog site is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.

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Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.

We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

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Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807, New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182

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Florida License RN License # RN9617241 (Control No. 3558029)
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Graduate with Honors: ICHS: MSN-FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)
Degree Granted. Masters in Family Practice MSN Diploma (Cum Laude)

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, MSN-FNP, RN* CIFM*, IFMCP*, ATN*, CCST
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