ACL and AC Joint Injuries in Football

The ACL

• The ACL is a ligament in your knee. This ligament is a very important stabilizer for your knee.
• The ACl connects your femur (thighbone) to your tibia (shin). The ACL on other ligaments prevent your knee from dislocating and overextending.

The AC Joint

• The AC Joint stabilizes your scapula to your chest by connecting the acromion on the scapula to the clavicle (collarbone).
• Without the AC Joint you would have much less movement.

ACL INJURIES

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• ACL injuries are starting to become very common in the sport of football. An ACL tear requires surgery if you want to be able to return to the sport. ACL tears often happen when an athlete is cutting and uses the plant foot to move the same way. This happens because when the player cuts in this way it puts pressure on the ACL and causes it to tear. The problem we see with ACL tears is the vulnerability you have to re injuring your knee.

Grades

• There are 3 grades to an ACL injury: -Grade 1 is an overstretched ligament but is still providing stability for the knee A small brace and mobility exercises will help regain mobility and stability in your knee. -Grade 2 is an overstretched but partially torn ligament that provides some stability for the knee If no surgery is needed you will need 3-4 months of physical therapy and some checkup visits with your orthopaedic. -And Grade 3 is a completely torn ligament that provides no stability for the knee
• When your ACL is completely torn and you are a young athlete you will need surgery. The procedure removes your torn tendon and replaces it usually with a tendon from your hamstring or you can get one from a deceased being. We often see Grade 1 and Grade 3 when it comes to sports injuries. It is very rare for someone to have a grade 2 ACL tear.

Diagnosis

• To see the severity of your injury doctors will look at your stability, movement, and tenderness. To see this doctors will test your range of motion and the stability of your knee to get a better understanding of what kind of injury they are dealing with
• To check for a tear an mri must be done.
• Sometimes you will need to get an xray to make sure there isnt any damage to your knee bone.
• Sometimes you will need to get an x-ray to make sure there isn't any damage to your knee bone.
• To see the severity of your injury doctors will look at your stability, movement, and tenderness.

Injury Prevention

• Gaining strength and stability in your knee are very good ways to prevent acl injuries.
• Simple exercise like single leg balance, wall sits, leg bridges, and foward lunges will help improve stability and strength in your knees.

AC JOINT INJURIES

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• AC Joint tears are very common in football. A study in 2013 found that there were a total of 2,486 shoulder injuries that occured over 12 NFL seasons. Of those 2,486, 727(29.2%) were dealing with the AC Joint. We often see the injury occur when a player is being hit into the ground shoulder first. The force going into the shoulder causes the joint to tear. Sometimes the tear can cause damage to your CC ligaments which is a more serious injury than just and AC Joint tear.

Grades of Injuries

• Type I = the AC ligament is slightly torn, but there's no damage to the CC ligament is unharmed. Ice, rest, and a sling will heal your injury. Advil will help reduce the pain. Type II = the AC ligament is completely torn, and there's little or no tear to the CC ligament. Ice, rest, and a sling will heal your injury. Advil will help reduce the pain. Type III = both the AC and CC ligaments are completely torn. In this case, the collarbone separates from the end of the shoulder blade. Surgery to remove the damaged part of your clavicle. 2-3 months of therapy and the shoulder should be back to full strength.

Diagnosis

• It is important to see the bloodflow, muscle strength, and any signs of damage to the rotater cuff if a doctor is dealing with an AC Joint injury.
• An X-ray will be able to determine the grade of the injury and treatment will be given from there.

Injury Prevention

• The AC joint is an injury that is hard to prevent in certain sports.
• Stretching your arms and shoulders will slightly reduce the chance of injury.

Works Cited

• Dr. Rachel Tavel, PT. “How to Solve AC Joint Pain in Your Shoulder.” Men's Health, Men's Health, 10 Oct. 2019, www.menshealth.com/fitness/a29425204/ac-joint-pain/.
• “Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury or Tear.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/acl-injury-or-tear.
• “Show Menu.” ShoulderDoc, www.shoulderdoc.co.uk/article/1448.
• Reviewed by UPMC Orthopaedic Care April 16, 2015. “ACL Surgery Recovery Timeline.” UPMC HealthBeat, 3 Sept. 2019, share.upmc.com/2015/04/recovery-time-for-acl-reconstruction-surgery/.