ACL or Meniscus injury
Significant knee injuries are on the rise and unfortunately occur more often in women planning pivoting sport. Netball, Football and Touch Footy involve higher levels of agility and change of direction than most other sports.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury usually occurs during one of these movements and in a flash, you’ve heard a pop and you’re clutching your knee. Sometimes there is a lot of pain, other times it takes some time to set in, but the swelling is often quite large.
The ACL is a ligament within the knee that provides some support to resist excessive motion within the joint. The Meniscus are other commonly injured structures that support force distribution in the knee. Check out our blog for more info.
What might contribute to reinjury?
- Biomechanical factors
- Deficits in quadriceps weakness
- Deficits in neuromuscular control
- Abnormal movement patterns
- Compensatory strategies of the uninvolved limb
- Gender
- Young athletes
- Early return to sport
- Not mentally ready
Having suffered a major knee injury, the natural next question is “do I need surgery?”
The most common outcome is for surgical reconstruction, but importantly this is not the only choice as every situation is unique.
The most important first step is to begin Rehabilitation early. The second step is to gather as much information as you are able to help guide your decision and understand your likely journey.
It is possible to return to sport without an operation, but not for everyone. The best outcomes are seen in athletes that hit key goals before surgery, or the stage in their return to sport.
Return to sport after reconstruction must take a minimum of 9 months. Is often takes closer to 12 months, but returning to the same level of performance often takes 18 months.
Despite the advancement in surgical procedures, the outcomes following ACL reconstruction continue to be poor. Less than 65% of (non-professional) athletes return to pre-injury level of performance.
For those that return to sport, re-injury remains a significant risk factor. Having suffered an injury, the risk increases 6x for the next 2 years and is unfortunately higher in females.
Meniscus surgeries may involve removing a small piece of the Meniscus, or stitching a tear together.
The Meniscus is a pair of U-shaped tissue within your knee that helps distribute the forces that go through the knee with movement.
If this surgery is done in isolation, recovery is much faster than ACL reconstructions
Contact us to arrange for RHP Physiotherapy for an individual one-on-one appointment with one of our highly trained staff.
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