Your knees are not only the largest joints in your body, but they’re also among the most commonly injured. Although there are any number of ways that you can damage these complex joints, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries account for more than their fair share — nearly half of knee injuries involve the ACL.
As experts in knee and shoulder injuries, you've certainly come to the right place — board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. William Schell and our team have no small amount of experience with ACL injuries.
Though it’s impossible for us to diagnose an ACL tear without an in-person examination, we outline some key signs of ACL damage here to at least get you some idea of what you might be up against.
As we mentioned, your knees are your largest joints, which is a good thing given that they play key roles in supporting most of your body and providing mobility.
To keep the three bones of the knee joint together — the thigh bone, shin bone, and kneecap — four soft, connective tissues called ligaments attach bone to bone inside your knee, including your:
Your PCL and ACL form an X in your knee joint that controls movement front to back. Your ACL also provides rotational stability, and it keeps your shin bone from sliding out in front of your thigh bone.
Since your ACL is a ligament, we talk about damage to these tissues in terms of sprains and tears. When it comes to ACL injuries, they mostly fall under the following sprain grades:
When an ACL tears completely, it means that either it shears in half or it dislodges from the bone. In either case, the ligament is no longer connected and no longer provides your knee with stability.
When there’s tearing in your ACL, it’s a grade 2 or 3 sprain, and the severity of your symptoms will depend upon the extent of the damage.
ACL tears are mostly acute injuries that occur when you pivot, stop suddenly, or jam your knee. In many cases, people can hear a popping noise in their knee, which certainly indicates tearing.
Not everyone, however, experiences that pop. Whether or not your knee pops, most people develop the following symptoms to some degree:
It’s also worth noting that about half of ACL tears come with collateral damage, including damage to the cartilage and meniscus tears. So, your symptoms might be exacerbated by other damage in your knee that occurred at the same time as the ACL tear.
When it comes to important joints like your knees, it’s always better not to ignore problems like ACL damage. The much better move is to come see us if you suspect an ACL tear so that we can evaluate the damage and put you on the right path toward healthy knees.
Not only can we use advanced imaging to see whether there’s damage in your ACL, but we can also determine the extent of the damage, which dictates your treatment moving forward. For example, there’s a big difference in how we approach partial ACL tears versus complete ACL tears — often, complete ACL tears require repair while many partial tears can heal with the right support.
The good news in all of this is that Dr. Schell is the orthopedist you want to see for knee problems. To schedule your ACL evaluation with us, simply contact us at our New York City office — located on Columbus Circle on the Upper West Side — by calling 646-381-2646. You can also send us a message by clicking here.
