The Anterior Cruciate Ligament or ACL runs diagonally in the middle of your knee and brings stability and allows the back and forth motion. If you spend much time in the mountains ACL is 3 letter acronym that’s all too familiar for painful reason.
Salt Lake City reporter Surae Chinn blew her ACL while getting off a lift at Brighton in late January. Her skis got crossed with some jamoke’s and as she went down she heard the proverbial pop. Chinn decided to document the diagnosis and surgical procedure for our benefit:
“Now the hard work on my part begins. Not only am I learning about the long journey of recovery, but I’ve gained so much empathy for people who injure their leg and knee now that I’m part of a very popular club. Everyone seems to have a knee story or knows someone who does.”
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SYMPTOMS OF ACL INJURIES:
- A loud “pop” or a “popping” sensation in the knee
- Severe pain and inability to continue activity
- Rapid swelling
- Loss of range of motion
- A feeling of instability or “giving way” with weight bearing
CAUSE:
- Changing direction rapidly
- Stopping suddenly
- Slowing down while running
- Landing from a jump incorrectly
- Direct contact or collision, such as a football tackle