A very common injury to the knee is an ACL tear. The knee has four ligaments that help provide stability to the knee, and one of the ligaments is the ACL.
Athletes are generally more prone to having an ACL tear, although, it can happen to anyone. It's due to excessive force that is placed on the knee and sudden pivots causing excessive force.
Symptoms:
-giving of the knee
-hearing a "pop" when the injury occurs
-swelling of the knee joint
-pain
Testing for an ACL tear can include
-Lachman test
-pivot shift maneuver
other tests include x-rays and MRI to check the ligaments. Although, most people don't need a MRI to diagnose an ACL tear, it can often times be diagnosed clinically.
Treatment includes;
-generally surgery
-physical therapy.
