KNEES - Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Symptoms of Knee Sprain

Most knee sprains are minor and recover fully after a short period of rest. If the knee is still swollen, painful and limited in its ability to bend after a few days, or it feels wobbly and unstable, it is more likely that the knee has sustained significant injuries which should be attended to.

Soccer and basketball players constitute the majority of patients who sustain serious damage to the knee. Most commonly, the anterior cruciate ligament is torn as a result. Many sportsmen report a ‘pop' sound during the injury with the knee buckling and giving way. There is usually swelling of the knee within the first few hours.

This injury can be debilitating because the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee is an important stabiliser of the knee, especially during pivoting manoeuvres such as turning on the run, jumping, accelerating and decelerating.

The main problem of patients with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency is the unpleasant sensation of the knee giving way, causing much inconvenience in the simplest of everyday tasks. Some of these patients regain sufficient control of their knees after physical therapy to manage at a reasonable level of activity.

However, a significant proportion of these ACL-deficient knees give way often enough and at the slightest provocation that the patient often feels incapacitated, unable to enjoy doing the things they used to do and want to do.

Apart from the physical incapacity, the frequent giving way of the knees may damage the meniscus and joint surface, resulting in degenerative changes in the joint. These are reasons to advise these patients to reconstruct the torn ACL and stabilise the knee.

Joint Replacement Surgery

Hip Replacement FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions about Hip Replacement)

Joint Replacement FAQ (Additional Frequently Asked Questions about Joint Replacement)