Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Anatomy & Physiology Anterior Crucient Ligament Anterior Crucient Ligament The Anterior Crucient Ligament also known as the ACL is usually injured in a forceful twisting motion of the knee. It also may be injured by hyper extending the knee witch is when the femur is forcefully pushed across the tibia such as a sudden stop, while running or a sudden change in weight. The person will feel or here a sudden pop in the knee. The knee may or may not get very swollen, but the knee will be very unstable so you can not walk and it is painful especially when it is moved after the accident. The anterior crucient ligament is a band of tissue which has two major strands is in the center of the knee and it crosses the posterior crucient ligament and extends from the back of the femur to the front of the tibia . The ACL’s purpose is to give you the ability to stand and walk and prevents the tibia from moving forward. . Two months after I had surgery on my meniscus, I went snowboarding and crashed into a tree. My right leg was stuck in my binding and the board twisted and I felt a sharp pain and fell to the ground, but I got up and kept going. After the season was over I went to the doctor and got an MRI scan, it showed that I had torn my ALC. I went to physical therapy for a month, then I got a custom brace made to fit my knee. My doctor said I will have to have surgery when I stop growing, I was thirteen years old when I injured my knee. The treatment for a Anterior Crucient Ligament sprain depends on what degree of sprain you have. A first degree sprain is when the ligament stretches or tears slightly, a second degree sprain is when the fibers tear but do not rupture, and a third degree sprain is when the ligament ruptures. If The knee shows any swelling then rest, ice, compression and elevation, (R.I.C.E.) is the prescribed treatment. It is also necessary to rest the knee by keeping the it immobilized, ice should be applied for fifteen to twenty minutes every three to four hours for at least three days or until the swelling goes away. Keep the knee compressed with an elastic bandage and elevate it with a pillow under it. When the knee can be moved without pain, you should start doing some strenghtening exercises to prevent atrophy in the muscles. There are a varied array options for repairing the Anterior Crucient Ligament. Although it is impossible to repair the ligament that is torn, There are some treatments that will help make it more comfortable. The most popular and currently the treatment recognized as the gold standard at this point is an operation witch takes the middle one third of the patella tendon and uses it to graft the torn ACL. The ACL is removed and replaced with the patella tendon graft, at each end of the graft a bone block is also taken; one piece from the tibia and one from the patella, these two bony blocks are inserted into holes that are drilled into the tibia and femur. Then the blocks are held into place with screws to provide stabilization of the ligament graft. The second choice of treatment is to take hamstring tendons then weave them to the size of the ACL. They can also use a allograft which is donated cadaver tissue that is frozen until the it can be utilized, then thawed, trimmed to size and used as an ACL substitute. The advantage of a allograft operation is that the incision is smaller and the rehabilitation time is shorter and less painful, the disadvantage is that it is not as strong as a graft from the patients own tissue. Rehabilitation is a long process, the patient will need to apply heat before activity and ice after activity. from day one to the first two weeks there should be no weight on the knee, a hinge brace should be put on and locked at zero degrees and unlocked for exercise which should be isometric quad sets, straight leg raises and hamstring isometric straight leg raises in four directions, hip flexion, extension, abduction and adduction begin hamstring strengthening. From two to four weeks partial weight bearing open hinge brace about twenty degrees when thirty to forty pounds can be lifted with the use of crutches. open hinge brace when quadriceps get strong enough to control the leg and do straight leg raises you do not need to use the hinge brace any more. the exercises that should be done are closed chain starting with light resistance using a thera-band then closed chain exercises, but avoid full extension. The patient should go to aqua therapy for strengthening and conditioning exercises. After four to ten weeks the patient should avoid twisting on a planted foot and should start weight shifting exercises and progress bilateral close chain and shallow squats. From ten to twelve weeks progress to full weight bearing and discard crutches when pain free. The patient should do isometrics with foot in flexed position at multiple angles then bilateral close chain exercises in pain free range using resistance open chain at extension of 90-30 degrees with proximal resistance, continue quad and hamstring strengthening choose a exercise to do for 25-30 minuets three times a day like swimming, cycling or walking to keep up with your rehabilitation. Here are a couple of good exercises; heel slides, you sit on the floor with your legs straight in front slowly slide the heel of the injured leg toward your buttocks by pulling your knee to your chest, prone knee flexion lying on your stomach bend you knee so your heel touches your buttocks you can add weights from three to five pounds. Thera-band hamstring curls sit on a chair facing a door about three feet away tie one end of the band to the door and the other side to your ankle, straighten the injured knee then bend your knee so your foot slides to the chair. Heel raise, on both feet raise your heels off the ground and hold for two seconds. Wall squats, with a ball, stand with your back and head against a wall keeping your feet one foot away from the wall and shoulder, place a ball or a pillow between your legs and squat and squeeze your legs together. The goal of rehabilitation is to return the person to their sport as soon as possible. Every person has different recovery rates. If you return to early you can re injure your knee which could led to permanent damage. The guide lines to return to regular activities are; you must be able to bend, do sprints, jump on both legs without experiencing pain in your leg. If your knee feels unstable or gets swollen you need to see a doctor hold off returning to regular activity. This report thought me about an injury that I have had. And needed to know more about Anterior Crucient Ligament sprains and about surgery. Now I know the ACL is a very important part of your knee and now I will be more conscious of what I do. I now have more knowledge of the strengthening process after surgery. Writing this report was helpful in understanding the surgery procedure and the role of the ACL ligament in the knee. Bibliography: Word Count: 1638
Copyright © 2005 College Term Papers, INC All Rights Reserved.