ACL Injuries in Athletes
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) attaches the femur, which is the thighbone, and the tibia, which is the shin, together (northstar). A torn ACL is one of the most excruciating experiences in an athlete's life. It is the first thing that comes to mind when they hurt their knee on the field; for many it is their greatest fear. A torn ACL can sometimes mean the end of an athlete's career. It can mean losing the chance to get that scholarship for young athletes, and it can also mean the end of those million dollar paychecks for those who have gone professional. A torn ACL can result in numerous surgeries, months of vigorous exercise and rehabilitation, and a sufficient amount of pain. It requires complete patience, for pushing too hard can result in further, more painful injury. Even after all that, an athlete is not guaranteed he or she will ever be able to play sports again. The anterior cruciate ligament is the reason that the knee only has one pattern of movement. Instead of moving sideways and up and down, the knee only serves as a pivot for flexion (bending) and extension (straightening); it holds the tibia and femur in place (northstar). In the northstar web page it is stated that, "The ante
Once it is determined that the ACL has in fact been torn, the athlete must prepare for reconstructive surgery. Many orthopedic choose to wait for the knee to stop swelling and regain some of the normal range of motion through light physical therapy for several weeks before going into surgery. The athlete is also fitted with a brace to help maintain some stability that is worn at all times before and up to about six weeks after surgery. The most often performed surgery is arthroscopic surgery. In this surgery, a small incision is made for the tiny camera which will guide the surgeon. To reconstruct the ACL, the surgeon will generally harvest, or take, one third of the patellar tendon. Usually it will be the central third that will be used in order to leave the two ends easily re-attachable. Attached to the graft (the patellar tendon) are pieces of bone which will prevent the tendon from sliding out of place once attached to the tibia and femur. Holes are then drilled into the femur and tibia at the attachment sites. The tendon, which will now be the reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament, is then threaded through the holes and held in place by metal screws. New blood vessels will grow in the tendon enabling it to heal, and the body will accept it as a ligament (Arthroscopy.com). There is little scarring, but still much to recover from. After surgery, the patient is set up with a physical therapist and given a continuous passive motion device. This deice is normally used during sleep. The athlete's leg stays in constant motion to keep it from stiffening overnight. For the first few weeks after surgery, the athlete meets with a physical therapist at least three times a week, and then the routine is left up to him/her (sechrest.com). Some common exercises done through rehabilitation are leg lifts, leg curls, riding the stationary bike, swimming, and light jogging with a brace. Because a muscle tends to slightly atrophy, or weaken, from lack of use the athlete at first uses no weight or resistance in the rehab. program. His/her own body weight is sufficient enough to fatigue the muscle. As the athlete progresses, the use of weights and resistance increases until the injured leg is at the same level as the normal leg. This progress can take up to a year for some athletes, while for others it can be accomplished in six months depending on the routine an
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1594
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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