Cosgarea is an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. But according to K. Donald Shelbourne, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Methodist Sports Center in Indianapolis, the main key to quick recovery from an ACL injury is to not rush into surgery. The patient must then begin physical therapy immediately after surgery, including repetitive knee motion. Shelbourne describes his program for quick recovery from ACL injuries in the current edition of The Physician and Sportsmedicine .
Ligaments help to stabilize the knee.
The knee ligament most prone to injury is the ACL, which connects the shin bone to the femur at the center of the knee. Its function is to limit rotation and forward motion of the shin bone in relation to the knee. People who tear their ACL may hear or feel a 'pop' and experience pain, swelling, or too much 'play' in their knee, causing it to buckle. To ensure success, Shelbourne says, there are several things that must be done before and after surgery. Doctors should reduce swelling in the knee, instruct the patient in hyperextension exercises, mentally prepare the patient for surgery, and restore the patient's normal gait pattern.