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 sh...
