Tag Archives: torn acl
Police throughout North America deserve kudos for their commitment to keeping us safe. While a myriad of events help make Toronto famous, it’s our police that oversee each of them and ensure we enjoy them safely. Police are an essential part of the fabric of our community.
For the past 32 years The North American Police Soccer Tournament has raised money for charities in need. Each year The North American Police Soccer Tournament organizers select a truly needy charity for which they will raise funds. This year, Kidsport Ontario will be the beneficiary of The 2012 North American Police Soccer Tournament proceeds. Kidsport Ontario is a charity that provides financial assistance to kids across Ontario for registration fees and equipment. Their mission is ensuring children can be active and engaged in sports even without the financial means to do so.
This year’s Toronto North American Police Soccer Tournament is slated for September 5th – 7th. Over 30 police agencies will be participating, and you can offer support by attending and cheering teams on! Remember, the North American Police Soccer Tournament raises money for a very worthwhile cause. And it’s a lot of fun to watch, as many around the world know.
Soccer’s worldwide appeal is undeniable. Physical, financially affordable, strategic, fast-paced…what’s not to love? But any physical game presents risks for being injured, whether you’re a police officer in the North American Police Soccer Tournament or just a casual soccer player enjoying a game in the park. It’s wise to be aware of common soccer injuries so that you can try to avoid them, identify them if one happens to you and know when and how to seek treatment.
Some of the most common soccer injuries or conditions plaguing soccer players include ankle sprains, tendonitis, concussions, pulled hamstrings, muscle cramps, blisters, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, stress fractures, strains and sprains, knee injuries like a torn ACL and torn knee cartilage and more. Sure seems like a long list, doesn’t it?! Recognizing that soccer is a very physical, quickly paced sport will help you understand why. Typically, common soccer injuries fall into one of two groups: cumulative or acute.
Common soccer injuries of a cumulative nature occur as the result of overuse of the joints, muscles and soft tissues repeatedly over time. What begins as a small re-occurring ache or pain can grow into a serious injury or condition if it is not treated.
Common soccer injuries that are acute happen from sudden impact or force. Acute injury pain can usually be felt immediately.
To avoid these kinds of common soccer injuries, basic measures can be taken: warm up before you play, use protective equipment, employ safe techniques for play, check the field before you play, play in proper weather conditions, stay hydrated and stretch afterwards. If you’re injured take time to rest and seek treatment for a full recovery before returning to the field.
Common soccer injuries can often be treated through physical therapy and rehabilitation, which is covered under most health plans.
For more information about treating common soccer injuries that are both painful and annoying, contact Athletic Edge Sports Medicine at 416-800-0800 or visit www.aesm.ca
To operate or not to operate…that is the question, literally. While not quite a line out of Shakespeare it’s certainly a line out of the life of a true ACL injury sufferer. ACL knee injuries are serious and usually accompanied by considerable pain. ACL injuries can happen during sports, motor vehicle accidents, at even home or work. The ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is a small ligament that sits deep within the joint located behind the knee cap. While very small, when torn it can cause significant pain and loss of mobility.
ACL knee injuries may require any one of a variety of surgical procedures. There are also several non-surgical treatment options. The plan that ends up being best for you depends on the nature and severity of the tear. Age and lifestyle will also affect your ultimate choice of treatment method. This important decision should be made by you in consultation with your sports medicine physician.
Whether you opt for or against ACL knee surgery, an experienced sports therapy clinic will be essential to your full recovery. Progressive physiotherapy and rehabilitation can restore the knee to a state close to where it was before the torn ACL. A custom knee brace is also imperative when treating a torn ACL – with or without surgery – to help stabilize it during recovery.
A good sports therapy clinic will offer education and a treatment plan that will reduce the likelihood of recurring injury. But since non-surgical treatment options come with no guarantees after time spent trying to nurse an injury back, many people go for surgery to avoid possible relapses of instability of the knee. Your team of sports therapy clinic professionals will have valuable input to guide you in knowing which decision is right for you.
Generally speaking, people may choose a non-surgical solution for repairing a torn ACL for circumstances when:
- It is exclusively the ACL that is injured (that is, that the ACL injury is not combined with other injuries in the knee);
- The tear is partial and no instability symptoms are present;
- The individual does not live a physically demanding lifestyle or have a physically demanding job.
The main motivation for having ACL knee surgery is that the procedure prevents future instability. By restoring the knee’s stability, athletes can resume their participation in their sports, and often, much sooner.
ACL knee surgery often involves replacing the ACL with a substitute graft made of tendon taken from somewhere in the patient’s body. This process is called autograft so you could be looking at patellar tendon autograft, or hamstring tendon autograft.
Active, athletic adults or those with a physically demanding job are generally the best candidates for ACL knee surgery. The elderly generally are better to avoid it. For those having surgery, rehabilitative therapy should begin before surgery, to make the postoperative recovery easier, and also about 10 days after surgery.
Working with an experienced physiotherapy clinic will ensure reduction of swelling in the knee, as well as improve mobility, prevent anterior knee problems and eventually restore the joint’s full range of motion.
If you have suffered an ACL knee injury and would like more information about your surgical and non-surgical options, please call 416-800-0800 or visit www.aesm.ca
How can such a small part of the body cause SO much pain?! Did you know that a tear to the 1-2 inch ACL is one of the most common knee ligament injuries? Called “a torn ACL” (Anterior Cruciate Ligament), this small ligament is found beneath the knee cap. When torn, it is extremely painful and often requires medical assistance including surgery.
A knee ligament injury will often show up when people are involved in a sport of some kind, in fact athletes are famous for being stricken by a torn ACL – one of the more serious forms of knee ligament injury. Knee ligament injuries can also occur in accidents in the home. Even kids horsing around the wrong way can end up with knee ligament injuries like a torn ACL.
Football, basketball, tennis, volleyball and soccer are the most common sports where these injuries happen and there are two primary reasons for this:
• Firstly, these sports involve accelerating, then rapidly decelerating with constant and quick changes in direction. This is often referred to as “cutting”.
• Secondly, all these sports involve jumping. What goes up must come down…but unfortunately not always in a straight line! Every time an athlete jumps, he or she risks landing awkwardly, twisting, turning, or wrenching the knee. The end result of this kind of landing is often the dreaded torn ACL. Athletes often invite knee ligament injuries by jumping then landing flat on their heels — and it is at that point a knee ligament injury can also happen, at lightning speed.
Injuries to a knee ligament or ACL are sudden and acute. They can hurt immediately. You may hear a loud pop and find yourself in instant and intense pain. Walking may range from very painful to impossible, and if you’re suffering from a torn ACL you may also have difficulty straightening the leg; may have poor balance; and/or the injured knee may begin to swell quickly. It is important to identify a torn ACL as soon as possible, and to discontinue the activity you were in the middle of when you hurt yourself.
An untreated ACL injury may have long term ramifications. These include, but are not limited to, ongoing pain in the knee, an inability to return to athletic activities, osteoarthritis, and long term swelling and/or stiffness.
There is no rushing the healing of a knee ligament injury such as a torn ACL. Any way you cut it, time is needed. Healing may also involve therapy along with custom knee bracing, along with physiotherapy. The recovery time may possibly take 6 months to a year; however, this recovery period can be reduced through an advanced treatment program at a sports medicine facility.
A good sports medicine treatment facility should be able to design your treatment and rehabilitation plan with consideration of your lifestyle and goals. You may also be fitted with custom equipment such as knee bracing and also taught special exercises that you can do at home to minimize recovery time. The staff may also help you to develop an ongoing plan to prevent a similar injury from happening in the future. Hooray!
Consider regular neuromuscular training which can reduce and even prevent non-contact ACL injuries. This training is designed to enhance proprioception, balance, muscle strength and proper movement patterns.
If you have suffered a knee ligament injury such as a torn ACL, if you would like to learn about programs to prevent an ACL injury or would simply like more information about treatment options, please call 416-800-0800 or visit www.aesm.ca
A torn ACL sounds like a mystery – unless you’ve ever had one. Described by those unfortunate to be stricken by one as “a loud popping sound followed by an intense and sharp pain in the knee”, a torn ACL usually happens in an abrupt movement or sport, like shifting directions, weaving around guards while moving a basketball down court. Shortly after tearing an ACL the knee joint will begin to swell, making it very difficult to straighten the leg or even walk. ACL tears happen more frequently than you think. If you feel you may have injured your ACL take heart, you will heal, but not without some help. Read on.
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament is actually one of the most important ligaments to the human body. Found behind the knee cap, extending through the middle of the knee joint between the shinbone and the thigh bone, this vital ligament prevents your thighbone from sliding backwards onto your tibia and also stabilizes the knee, preventing it from rotating.
ACL injuries are very common in athletes, but aren’t restricted to them. People that would describe themselves as simply “very active” can also experience an ACL tear. High impact movement or contact sports such as hockey, football, soccer, and asketball are where many ACL injuries happen. Sports like these – involving abrupt stopping and starting, or frequent jumping – are just the kind of thing that can put enough momentum and pressure on the knee joint which causes the ACL to tear.
A torn ACL is considered an acute injury. If you’ve ever had one you’ll agree! Tears to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament happen most often during rapid, sudden movement. So it makes sense that the injury itself also happens suddenly.
If you are at all suspicious that you may have a torn ACL, do not put any weight on that leg and certainly do not continue the physical activity that you were involved in when the injury occurred.
When you suffer from a torn ACL, the pain is considerable if not extreme. To immediately reduce the knee from swelling, and slightly manage the pain, elevate and ice the area. Immediate rest is the most important step you can take towards healing. Rest will not only help you heal more quickly but also help you to ensure that you prevent further injury both before and after treatment – something you will wholeheartedly want to avoid!
ACL injuries are equal-opportunists – they are not age specific. People young and old can – without warning – end up with a torn ACL, though teens and young adults remain the demographic most frequently injured by them.
Where your age plays a major role in ACL injury is in the treatment and recovery. Most ACL injuries require surgery, and a knee that’s still growing is treated differently than one that isn’t, which in turn dictates the type of ACL surgery performed. Custom knee bracing and ongoing physical therapy will also be a part of the full recovery of a torn ACL.
Once your ACL surgery has been performed, the knee needs stability and rest. Be patient. We can’t overemphasize how key to recovery patience through rest is. Recovery from this kind of physical injury, and surgery required to mend it, takes time. Trying to rush the healing process will not work, so commit early on to giving your ACL an ample period to recover without aggravation.
Rehabilitation “rehab” from a torn ACL involves medically supervised physical therapy, several times a week. Your physical therapist will guide you through important exercises that you can do at home. Athletes often speed up their ACL-tear recovery time through an accelerated program that involves more frequent therapy. Rehab also reduces pain, controls swelling and restores the knee’s full range of motion, balance and overall strength. If you play your cards right you will, one day, feel like new….
If you would like more information about recovering from an ACL injury please call 416-800-0800 or visit www.aesm.ca today.
