Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear - Essay Example

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tear ACL tear is a common injury that affects the knee. It occurs as a ligament tear or sprain. Over 100,000 Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears happen each year in the United States. The country spends billions in the treatment of the tear. The injury majorly affects sports men and women who take part in vigorous sports. Sports such as football, soccer, and basketball can easily get the ligament (cruciate) injured. Most people need surgery after the injury to enable the knee to recover. The patella, the tibia, and femur also known as the thighbone are the three bones that form the knee joint. The patella (kneecap) provides protection for the entire joint. This is the reason why it is located anteriorly. The knee has four ligaments that provide stability by holding the bones together. The cruciate ligament is crucial because it maintains the knee stability. The ligament keeps the tibia and the femur in position (Bryant, p. 58). Most of these injuries take place when damage occurs in other knee structures. The structures may include ligaments and cartilages. The damage to the ligament is mild in grade 1 tear; it becomes loose in grade 2 tear. Grade 3 tear occurs when the ligament splits in pieces. Injuries to the ligament occur when a person changes direction so fast during movements. Collision in games such as rugby can result in anterior cruciate ligament injury if the knee is affected. Symptoms experienced by the patient after the injury are swelling and pain that makes the joins tender and the person finds it difficult to walk. The doctor can run imaging tests on the person to help locate the damage (Bryant, p. 100). Treatment of the injury depends on the patient’s needs. Others may decide to recover without surgery. The do’s and don’ts in training for a person with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear Rehabilitation is essential for the recovery of a patient with an injury. The patient has to register for a recovery program before resuming the activity that caused the injury. The patient should begin with simple activities after surgery. These activities include leg stabilization, squats use of lifts, but not activities based on machines. The patient should get to understand about the training program. The patient should not rush for surgery; they have to wait until the swelling goes down. They can raise or elevate the leg to reduce swelling. Exercise such as cycling, walking, and swimming can help increase the knee strength before surgery. The patients are to adhere to the program for effective results. The patient should not resume immediately to an activity that caused the injury. They should resume when they have fully recovered. The physiotherapist should assess the situation and give a decision. Cardio-respiratory program for person with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear Longer hospitalization of patients may lead to heart and lung problems (Morrey, p. 30). The person can jog on a treadmill, squat, do hamstring exercises, and make use of a medicine ball to promote cardio-respiratory fitness. Week Activity Week 1 Do not rush into the exercise and begin at a lower note. Run on a treadmill for 30 minutes and raise the heart rate for the five days of the week. Choose the kind of exercise to practice. Begin with lighter exercises. Have half an hour session for three days in a week. Week 2 Have a full hour session each day. Run on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Take a rest and then continue with the exercise. Rest if you get tired on the way while running. Ensure the other knee is free from injuries in the process. Week 3 Exercise for one and half hours per session. The training should be daily for a whole week. Engage in low intensive activities. The patients should rest between sessions and proceed with the exercise without overworking themselves. Week 4 Have a two-hour session each day in one week. Carry out the same exercise as those of week three, but increase the intensity of the exercises. Week 5 Have a two and half hour training session, done daily for one week. Carry small weights while running. Avoid exerting a lot of pressure on the injured knee. Repeat the same exercise severally. Week 6 The patient should have the injury assessed. They should continue to have a three-hour training session in a day. The patient can decide to run in the morning and engage in other activities in the evening. Such games will strengthen the lungs and blood vessels. Resistant program for a person with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear Resistant program is vital in the recovery of a person with (ACL) tear. The patient has to adhere to the regimen for the training to be effective (Shelbourne, p. 90). It involves pushing against a force of different forms. The person has to take care not to injure the knee or ligament affected. Week Activities Week 1 Warm up with light aerobics before commencing. This should last for a period of 15 minutes. Resistance exercise needs to occur twice a week. Weight lifting, medicine balls, or resistance bands are some of the exercises used in resistance training. One set of exercise daily with eight repetitions done per set. The patient should rest for 30 minutes between sets. Week 2 Do weight lifting, squats, chin-ups, or pushups. Two sets in a day with 10 repetitions per day. The patient should rest after the activities of the day to allow muscles to heal. Week 3 During the third week, the number of repetition increase to 11 in a set. The patient should rest for 20 minutes between repetitions. Do three sets in a day and lift a 10 kg weight or work on a resistance band. This should be12 repetitions in a set. Week 4 Increase the weight to 15 kg, though it depends on tolerance. Try on other exercises that strengthen the muscle. The number of set increases to four with 14 repetitions in a set. The time for rest between sets is reduced by 15 minutes. Week 5 Increase the mass lifted depending on tolerance. Try on medicine balls or other resistance exercises. Number of sets remains four in a day with fifteen repetitions in a set. The patient can exercise three days in a week. Week 6 This is the final week of the program. Patient assessment occurs to identify the progress. At six weeks, the number of sets in a week is increased and the weight lifted is about 20 kilograms. Take the shortest time to rest between the sets. Flexibility program for person with anterior cruciate ligament injury Flexibility is a type of exercise aimed at lengthening the muscles and makes them revolve through a range of motion. The patient should be able to adhere to the training regimen. Patients should not overstretch and are to rest when they get exhausted (Roe, p. 120). The following stretches are recommended for the patient; hip extension and abduction, raising of the calf muscles, raising the leg and flexing the knees. Weeks Activities Week 1 With the help of a physiotherapist, flex the knee while sitting on the floor. Extend the leg and place the hand posterior to the injured knee. Move toward the chest while bending. The back has to be straight-3 sets in a day. The patient can repeat the procedure ten times in a single set. Week 2 Extend the legs straight while sitting on the floor. Try contracting the muscle above the knee; hold the position for 10 seconds and repeat 11 times in a set. Four sets per session per day. Week 3 The patient lies on the floor and bends the knee that is not injured. The other foot remains on the floor. Raise and lower the injured knee and repeat this act 10 times daily. Week 4 The patient lies on the floor, bends, and straightens their knee. It is repeated ten to twelve times in a set. The patient lifts the lower body 6 to 8 inches off the floor. They should hold the position for 5 seconds and relax afterwards. The patient should have three sets a day with ten to fifteen repetitions per set. Week 5 Make use of a balance disk or wobble board. Balance on the affected knee and raise the leg that has no injury. Nine counts per balance and repeat the same ten times. Week 6 Stretches using a stair are effective. The patient needs to go up and down the staircase by the use of their injured leg first before doing it with the normal leg. They should have a session of fifteen minutes in a day. Works Cited Bryant, Adam L., Mark W. Creaby, Robert U. Newton, and Julie R. Steele. "Dynamic Restraint Capacity of the Hamstring Muscles Has Important Functional Implications After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction." Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 89.12 (2008): 2324-2331. Print. Morrey, B.f.. "Bone Contusion and Associated Meniscal and Medial Collateral Ligament Injury in Patients with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture." Yearbook of Orthopedics 2012 (2012): 289-290. Print. Roe, J., L. Pinczewski, L. Salmon, and H. Williams. "Management of anterior cruciate ligament when combined with medial ligament injury." Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 12 (2009): S59. Print. Shelbourne, K. D., and D. A. Porter. "Anterior cruciate ligament-medial collateral ligament injury: Nonoperative management of medial collateral ligament tears with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A preliminary report." The American Journal of Sports Medicine 20.3 (1992): 283-286. Print Read More