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Patient Education - ACL Mecca

ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) Compendium - The ACL Page


The most comprehensive ACL resource on the Web

image acl diagram
acl diagram


For a second opinion or "e-pinion" about your ACL injury, Ask the Doctor.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury (ACL Injury) occurs about 200,000 times a year in the USA. ACL surgery is performed about 60,000-75,000 times a year in the USA. The torn ACL remains one of the most important knee injuries in sports medicine. ACL reconstructions are performed when an individual sustains an ACL tear that is not adequately controlled with an ACL brace or the completion of an appropriate ACL rehab program.

ACL injury is seen more often in women than men, if you account for participation rates in sports. The incidence of injury is higher in people who participate in sports like soccer, basketball, football, and skiing. As girls are generally not as skeletally mature as women, girls basketball has relatively high rates of ACL injury. An ACL tear usually occurs with: (1) low-velocity, non-contact, deceleration injury, like landing from a jump or (2) a contact or collision knee injury with a rotational component, twisting, bending, and hyperextension.    ACL injury can occur from seemingly simple activities. 

ACL Surgery is often referred to as: ACL reconstruction, ACL replacement, ACL repair or just plain ACL knee surgery. The torn ACL is actually replaced or reconstructed with a tendon graft in most cases. Children will sometimes have a true ACL repair.

About half of all patients with an ACL injury also have a torn meniscus. A lateral meniscus tear occurs more commonly with an acutely torn ACL. These are usually vertical tears in the posterior horn. Chronic ACL tears are usually associated with medial meniscus tears. These meniscus tears are often classified as oblique, horizontal, radial, flap, undersurface, degenerative, bucket-handle, or displaced.

ACL surgery has a long term success rate of about 75-95%, which means most people get a good return of stability and activity. The current ACL surgery failure rate is about 8%, due mainly to recurrent instability, graft failure, knee pain and knee stiffness. The ACL reconstruction can be done more than once (ACL revision).

ACL rehabilitation can last several months, including multiple trips to physical therapy and the gym. It is essential for complete ACL recovery. ACL braces are used with and without surgery on the ACL ligament. They are not always needed, and do not guarantee injury prevention, but can offer extra support.


GENERAL ACL INFORMATION / TORN ACL / ACL MRI / ACL FAQ


An ACL Info Page.
About.com ACL Injury Information
Knee1.com ACL Information
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Official Site (AAOS) ACL Information
Useful ACL Links
ACL Overview
About ACL
Joint Healing: Knee

ACL INJURY VIDEOS


Warning! Some of these videos are graphic.


Soccer
Basketball (Women's 1 Womens 2) and (Men's 1- Rebound Men's 2 - Dunk)
Football 1 - HS tackle
Football 2 - McCallum
Football 3 McGahee
Skateboarding You may have to click on this link, then 'right-click' the next link, and select 'save-as' to download and view this Quick-time clip.
ACL tear ACL/MCL tear
James E. Ireland Foundation welcomes your tax-deductible donations for any retained video clips.


ACL SURGERY VIDEO


ACL Surgery Webcast.
Dr. Russell Warren and Dr. Jon Hyman. Select 'Long version' for full video. Hamstring ACL Reconstruction Live from an Operating Room. Approximately 1 hour in length.

Physical Exam #1
This is how the Orthopaedic Surgeon can tell that your ACL is torn by a physical examination.

Physical Exam #2

1st Week after ACL Surgery



ACL SURGERY TECHNIQUES


ACL Surgery
An ACL Reconstruction Surgical Technique
ACL REPAIR Technique
ACL MRI and Technical Information
Hamstring and Patellar Tendon Grafts, Surgical Technique
Hamstrings


ACL IMAGES / ACL PHOTOS


ACL Injury and ACL Tear Pictures
ACL Surgery Images


ACL GRAFT TYPES. HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?


ACL Graft Choices Summary 1
ACL Graft Choices Summary 2
Scientific Comparison of Hamstring vs. Patellar Grafts
ACL Grafts: Hamstrings or Patellar Tendon
Hamstring Weakness after ACL surgery
ACL Graft Choice Article
ACL Graft Types
ACL Allograft (Cadaver Tissue)
ACL Graft Choice Injury bulletin
ACL Graft Harvest Incisions and General Information
From a Surgeon's Perspective (very useful links)
Allograft (Cadaver Tissue) Safety
Allograft Tissue? How is it prepared?
ACL Graft Pictures


ACL INJURY AND THE FEMALE ATHLETE


ACL Anatomic Factors in Women
ACL Injury Prevention: Flash Media Exercise Demonstrations
PEP Program Prevention Initiatives
ACL Injuries in Women
Women and ACL Injuries Article
ACL Issues for Women. Female Athletes Improving Jumping and landing from Jumps
ACL Tears in Women


ACL REHABILITATION / ACL THERAPY / ACL EXERCISES


Harvard Accelerated ACL Rehab Program
Comprehensive ACL Post-op Rehabilitation, Exercises and Functional Recovery Program
ACL Rehabilitation Therapy
ACL Physical Therapy
ACL Exercises for Injury Prevention
ACL Exercise Images
ACL Rehabilitation Time Frames (General Guidelines. The Doctor will individualize the times based on the patient's progress and other knee problems)
ACL Sports Injury Bulletin
ACL Rehabilitation Time Phases (General Guidelines)
ACL Rehabilitation Time Phases 2 (General Guidelines)
Open Chain vs. Closed Chain Post Operative ACL Rehabilitation Programs
Open Chain and Closed Chain ACL Exercises


ACL BRACES / FUNCTIONAL BRACING


ACL Sports Braces
Are ACL Braces Mandatory?
A Bracing Decision: "To wear or not to wear? That is the question."
ACL Braces Comfort. Reliability. Durability. Protection.
Faith in Braces
Cti2 ACL Brace (as one example of many such braces) and CTI2
Orthoscript

SECOND ACL SURGERY ("Repeat" or "Revision" ACL Surgery)


Revision ACL Surgery

ACL BULLETIN BOARDS / ACL MESSAGE BOARDS / "PATIENT TO PATIENT" FORUMS


Atlanta's Premier Patient to Patient ACL Message Board
Bob's ACL WWWBoard
ACL Soccer Message Board
ACL Care: Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
The Knee Guru

PATIENT'S ACL LINKS AND PERSONAL TESTIMONIALS


Martha's ACL page
Rob's Knee page
Jimbo's ACL page. (A nice journal, with photos)
Ron Mclellan's ACL page
Janet Bray's ACL page
Tim Smallwood's ACL page
Personal Story ACL Patient
Suggestions from ACL Patients
Bob Willmot's Story

Patient-to-Patient Forums for ACL



Our ACL Forum



www.drjonhyman.com is the place where Atlanta's athletes come for cutting edge Sports Medicine news and information.Interact with other athletes, share tips and advice, or interact with Harvard trained physicians, with questions you may have related to sports medicine. We are not rendering medical care, but can point you to relevant information. All physician advisors and consultants to Atlanta's Athletes Online are Harvard trained doctors. This site is not affiliated with Harvard University.