Rupture of anterior cruciate ligament: why does it happen and how to eliminate it?

The rupture of the anterior cruciate ligaments is a serious pathology of the knee joint, which results from very heavy loading or trauma to the leg. A person who has encountered such a problem needs the help of professional traumatologists and surgeons. The recovery period after such an injury is at least 9 months, although its duration may increase or decrease.

Causes and symptoms of pathology

The rupture of the anterior cruciate ligaments is due to too much strain on the joint, which is very often observed in athletes, as well as due to impact during the fall (auto accident, inaccurate cycling, skiing). No one is immune from this situation.

The symptomatology of the injury is quite simple. The patient has swelling of the affected area with redness of the skin (due to intra-articular hemorrhage). Naturally, the victim feels a sharp and severe pain. Regardless of whether there has been a full or partial rupture, the patient can not walk and even step on his leg.

The rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament can also be accompanied by unnatural mobility of the joint. Naturally, after the trauma you need to immediately contact the doctor for a follow-up examination. Delay may be fraught with consequences: arthritis of the joint or other bone disease. The examination is carried out by visual inspection of the damaged area, X-ray and MRI.

Conservative treatment of pathology

The rupture of the anterior cruciate ligaments can be eliminated with the help of physiotherapeutic procedures, limitation of leg mobility and medication. In order to relieve the pain in the damaged area, you must immediately apply a cold compress to the knee. Heat in this case is not recommended, as it will cause a strong bleeding in the joint. In addition, the patient may be prescribed painkillers (medications "Ibuprofen", "Diclofenac") with anti-inflammatory effect.

During the healing period of the ligament, it is necessary to limit the mobility of the leg with tight bandages or bandages. Since therapy requires subsequent rehabilitation, the patient is assigned a massage, physical therapy and physiotherapy. Treatment of anterior cruciate ligament rupture must be sparing.

Surgical intervention: is it necessary to conduct it?

If the pathology is very serious, that is, the ligaments are broken completely, then the patient needs the help of surgeons. Intervention is simple enough. For this, even general anesthesia is not always used . For the operation, a special device is used - an endoscope, which allows working through very small incisions.

If you can not sew the ligament, it is possible to perform a prosthetic procedure. In this case, you can use both the patient's own tissues and artificial material.

The rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, the treatment of which requires further rehabilitation, can not be cured independently. Therefore, immediately consult a doctor.