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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffInitial treatment for an ACL injury aims to reduce pain and swelling in your knee, regain normal joint movement and strengthen the muscles around your knee.
You and your doctor will then decide if you need surgery plus rehabilitation, or rehabilitation alone. The choice depends on several factors, including the extent of damage to your knee and your willingness to modify your activities.
Athletes who wish to return to sports involving cutting, pivoting or jumping usually pursue surgical reconstruction to prevent episodes of instability. More-sedentary individuals usually can maintain knee stability with rehabilitation alone.
Therapy
Rehabilitation therapy will be needed, whether or not you have surgery on your knee. Therapy will include:
- The use of crutches and, possibly, a knee brace
- Range-of-motion exercises to regain your full knee motion
- Muscle-strengthening and stability exercises
Surgical and other procedures
- Arthrocentesis. An ACL injury tends to cause bleeding inside the knee, which can lead to significant swelling. This swelling can be reduced by arthrocentesis, a procedure in which a needle is inserted into the knee joint to draw off the excess fluid.
- Surgical reconstruction. A torn ACL can't be successfully sewn back together, so the ligament is replaced with a piece of tendon from another part of your leg. This surgery is usually performed arthroscopically through small incisions around your knee joint. A camera is used to guide the placement of the ACL graft.
- Amy E, et al. Anterior cruciate ligament tear. In: Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain, and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/220179329-3/1059395304/1678/58.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4007-1..50057-2--cesec12_907. Accessed Sept. 24, 2010.
- Friedberg RP. Anterior cruciate ligament. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept 24, 2010.
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury prevention. American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. http://www.sportsmed.org/secure/reveal/admin/uploads/documents/ST%20ACL%20Injury%2008.pdf. Accessed Sept. 24, 2010.
- The injured ACL. American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. http://www.sportsmed.org/secure/reveal/admin/uploads/documents/ST%20Injured%20ACL%2008.pdf. Accessed Sept. 24, 2010.
- Pallin DJ, et al. Knee and lower leg. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1060123978&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00054-2&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00054-2--s0415&uniqId=220363422-3. Accessed Sept. 28, 2010.
- Laskowski ER (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 29, 2010.
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