SOME INFO ABOUT ACL INJURIES
ACL injuries often occur in connection with sports activities where there are rapid changes of direction such as football, bandy, racket sports and alpine skiing. Treatment usually consists of rehabilitation in the form of physiotherapy but sometimes surgery is required, followed by a long period of rehabilitation.
HOW DOES IT FEEL WHEN YOU HAVE AN ACL INJURY?
ACL injuries usually occur at an obvious point of injury and when you have just injured your ACL, it usually feels like something is breaking in your knee and something is really wrong. It hurts. But not always extremely painful. The knee usually also swells a lot within a few hours and you find it difficult to support your leg. After a few days or weeks, the pain is not as bad, but after the injury, the stability of the knee joint deteriorates. The anterior cruciate ligament, which is the most commonly injured one, cannot heal on its own, but regular rehab training can restore good stability and knee function. You should always contact a physiotherapist for help with rehabilitation and an exercise programme to build up the muscles around the knee.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO HEAL AFTER AN ACL INJURY?
The swelling in the knee will decrease in the first few weeks after the injury. It is important to start mobility training as soon as possible to reduce the risk of stiffness. Adapt the training to your own level and proceed slowly. Movement training that hurts is not recommended. Avoid sleeping with a pillow under the knee, even if it feels good, as this can lead to difficulties in fully extending the knee.
Whether you manage the injury through rehab or surgery, it is then likely to take up to 12 months to regain the same strength and function as before the injury. To achieve full strength, it is very important to work actively with rehab. It is recommended to have regular contact with a physiotherapist in order to get help with a training programme so that you have individually adapted rehab exercises in the right dose.
