Inside ACL Injuries: Causes, Impact, and Recovery

What They Are and How Sports Medicine Can Help

You’re racing across the field and quickly pivot to the left to avoid a collision with a player from an opposing team. But, at that moment, you hear a loud pop. Pain erupts in your knee, and you can no longer put weight on it.

You’ve just suffered an ACL injury, one of the more common sports injuries–particularly for those playing football, basketball, or soccer. These can be major injuries that require immediate medical attention.

Fortunately, Rebound Fitness & Rehabilitation offers same-day urgent care to help assess and diagnose sports injuries. We’ll provide any immediate treatment and let you know what your next steps need to be–in the case of an ACL injury, this is often surgery and then rehabilitation.

Today, we want to do a deep dive into ACL injuries: what they are, why they happen, and how we can set you on the road to recovery. And if you need any in-depth guidance, don’t hesitate to give us a call!

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Our Patients Are Seeing Success

I went with a back issue, an L2 disk which I can barely walk. After several sessions, my back is getting stronger and stronger. What I like about rebound is the teamwork and professionalism and also having a plan on how to make my back better.

– Angel R.

My two sons are competitive swimmers and often have muscle pains/injuries. They have been coming to Rebound for many years for workouts and “fixing” injuries, which has always worked great. They love to work with Greg, Rennie, Jay and other trainers there. Now, whenever they have joint/muscle pain, the first thing we have in mind is “call Greg”. Thank you Rebound for helping us all these years!!

– Crystal O.

I had about 3 hamstring injuries and I didn’t go to rebound fitness until the last one. I was gone for about a good year off of my sports. But now I’m back better than ever because of Greg and rebound fitness, they really helped me and take care of me all the time!

– Dawson W.

What Exactly Is an ACL Injury?

 The ACL is one of four ligaments that make up your knee joint. It’s located inside the joint and crosses over another ligament, the PCL (posterior cruciate ligament). The ACL stabilizes the knee and prevents you from rotating the joint too far.

Athletes typically injure their ACL during sudden pivot or cutting movements, twisting the knee too far and causing the ACL to tear, either partially or completely. The following are signs that you may have suffered an ACL injury:

  • Pain on the outside and back of the knee
  • Significant swelling
  • Loss of motion
  • Inability to put weight on your leg

First Steps: What Do I Do When I Experience an ACL Injury?

If you suspect you’ve torn your ACL, it’s essential to perform first aid immediately after the injury:

  • Rest and protect your injured knee. Don’t put weight on it.
  • Ice the affected knee to help decrease pain and inflammation.
  • Compress the affected knee with a bandage to reduce swelling.
  • Keep your knee elevated.

Next, you should visit our same-day urgent care clinic, as we offer a faster and more personalized approach than an emergency room. There, we can confirm the exact nature of your injury. Our in-house X-ray service can rule out certain injuries, such as a bone fracture, and we can order additional testing to confirm a torn ACL.

We can also get you situated with braces or crutches to help protect your knee in the early days of your injury.

Next Steps: How Do I Treat an ACL Injury?

There are two main ways to treat ACL injuries:

  • Conservative treatment involves extensive rehabilitation with a physical therapist, who will guide you through targeted exercises to improve the strength and mobility of your knee joint.
  • Surgical treatment involves undergoing an ACL reconstruction, a procedure in which a surgeon removes the damaged ligament and grafts a new one crafted out of ligament tissue from elsewhere in your body.

The right treatment option for you will vary based on your injury’s severity and specific recovery goals. That said, surgery will likely be your best option if you’re an athlete whose sport requires a great deal of pivoting. 

In either case, we can refer you to a physical therapist and/or an orthopedic surgeon to ensure you get the best treatment for your needs.

Furthermore, it’s important to understand that ACL injuries take a long time to fully rehabilitate, no matter your choice. While our team won’t guide you through the rehabilitation, we’ll provide additional support throughout the process.

Meet Our Team

Colleen Levitz
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Colleen Levitz

MS, PT

Jianrong Hong
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Jianrong Hong

PT, DPT

Physical Therapist Brigid
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Brigid Walsh

DPT

Stephanie Berman
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Stephanie Berman

ATC, General Manager

Samantha Lodygowski
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Sam Lodygowski

M.Ed, LAT, ATC

Rennie Stefani
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Rennie Stefani

MS, CSCS

Greg Cadichon
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Greg Cadichon

ATC, LAT, Founder and Director, Rebound Fitness & Rehabilitation, Inc.

John Brna
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John Brna

MD, Medical advisor and consultant

Christine Strong
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Christine Strong

DPT

How Can I Prevent an ACL Injury?

Taking the necessary steps to prevent an ACL injury is incredibly important, especially for athletes. Suffering one ACL tear increases the likelihood you’ll suffer another. It’s crucial that you get an annual sports physical to ensure you’re in the right condition to play your sport. Our sports physicals go into far more depth than a typical doctor’s appointment, including evaluating your musculoskeletal system for potential issues. If we notice anything, we can refer you to a sports performance specialist to address it.

Whether you’ve just suffered an injury on the playing field or need to come in for your next sports physical, Rebound Fitness & Rehabilitation is here to help. Call us today to get started.

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Recipe of the Month: Blender Banana Spinach Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 medium to large extra ripe bananas
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup or honey
  • ⅓ cup dairy free milk of choice
  • 3 cups fresh spinach
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup packed blanched almond flour
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • ¼ cup flaxseed meal
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons hemp seeds

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 10 muffin liners (we’re only making 10 muffins). Spray the inside of the muffin liners with nonstick cooking spray so the muffins do not stick to the liners.
  2. Add the eggs, bananas, maple syrup/honey, dairy free milk, spinach and vanilla extract to a large, high powered blender and blend on high for 1 minute or until completely smooth. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined. Pour the blended wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Feel free to stir in hemp hearts, if using. Divide the batter between the muffin liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
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