The ACL is a primary stabilizer of the knee joint. Without this ligament the knee will be unstable and not allow side to side or pivoting motion in daily life or in sports. It will also predispose the knee to damage such as cartilage tears or arthritis.

The ACL is torn in various ways and most commonly in sports. The majority of tears occur without any direct blow to the knee, but rather with a hard landing from a jump, or a twisting, pivoting,or hyperextension force to the knee. People will experience a sharp pain and “pop” in the knee followed by moderate or even severe swelling. Most people are not able to return to play at that time.The knee will typically quiet down over 1-2 weeks and may even feel completely normal for a period of time. This is usually followed by the knee giving way with any attempt at return to sport or even with turning or changing direction in daily activity.

Female Athletes have been found to tear the ACL 5-8 times more often than males. Various factors influence this injury rate. There are many prevention programs that are offered andrecommended for female athletes especially in soccer, basketball, and volleyball.

Some patients who are not physically active or who do not experience giving way of their kneewith daily life may be treated with exercise and bracing. The vast majority of people with a torn ACLrequire ACL Reconstruction to re-create stability in the knee and allow higher level function.

ACL Reconstruction is an outpatient surgery lasting 1-2 hours in which a new ligament is createdto replace the torn ACL using your own tissue (or in certain cases donated tissue). This is followed by a4-5 month recovery and rehabilitation period before return to full sports. Daily activity is resumed tonear normal within the first 2-4 weeks. This surgery is performed arthroscopically, allowing treatmentof any other cartilage injury at the same time as the ACL reconstruction. This treatment allows peopleto return to their previous level of activity in 80%-90% of cases.