The ACL, or Anterior Cruciate Ligament, is a ligament deep in the middle of the knee providing stability to the knee joint. This ligament prevents the tibia and femur bones of the knee from gliding back and forth on one another. When the ACL is torn and there is increased movement of the tibia and femur in relation to one another, the knee becomes unstable.

 

An ACL tear leads to symptoms of pain, locking, giving out, buckling, and swelling of the knee.

 

The ACL can be torn in a variety of ways: a plant-and-twist (pivot) injury, or a fall or trauma. An examination in the office as well as MRI imaging will confirm the presence of a torn ACL. 

 

When the ACL tears, the vessel supplying blood to the ligament also tears. This leads to devitalized, unrepairable tissue. For this reason, if you have an ACL tear, Dr. Bedford will recommend a surgical ACL reconstruction. 

 

Without reconstructing the ACL surgically, the knee will remain unstable. In addition to symptoms of instability, the increased translation of the femur and the tibia can be very harmful to an otherwise healthy knee joint: 

 

• Early osteoarthritis will develop as the femur and tibia translate (slide back and forth against each other) an abnormal amount, wearing on the cartilage coating the ends of the bones.

• Meniscus tears will occur as the translation of the tibia and femur on one another causes shear stress to the meniscal tissue, tearing it. 

 

Read more about ACL Reconstruction here.