Our bodies are designed to endure minor injuries and even heal themselves over the course of time. But sometimes the injuries can become painful and prevent you from performing your daily tasks. One such injury is the ACL. For those who do not know about the ACL injury, it is one of the most common but quite serious injuries which affect the knees.

The technical term for ACL is an anterior cruciate ligament, which basically refers to the cross-shaped or twisted ligament that directly connects the shinbone to the thigh bone. The function of the anterior cruciate ligament is to stabilize the knee and promote flexible movement.

Besides connecting the shinbone and thigh bone, the ligament also connects the patella to the other two bones. Only when the four ligaments are in alignment do they keep the legs and thighs in proper shape and ensure flexibility.
The cartilage that surrounds the ligament has an additional function of absorbing shock and promoting the perfect movement of the legs and thighs.

What Do We Mean By ACL Injury?

What Do We Mean By ACL Injury_

When the anterior cruciate ligament suffers from an injury, it is called an ACL injury. The injury occurs when the ligament undergoes a lot of strain and stretches and tears away. The ACL injury generally occurs when you are either training rigorously or while playing sports, especially those that require a lot of jumping and fast movement of the legs.

According to a survey of athletes and various sports people, almost 70 to 80% of ACL injuries occur when the knees suffer from a strong jerk or blow. When the ACL injury is mild, then there will be an impact on just the ligament. But when the injury is severe, the surrounding cartilage, tendons, and even bones get affected and cause severe pain and discomfort.

What Are The Symptoms Of An ACL Injury?

Expect significant pain, which is one of the most common symptoms. You can also have swelling all around the knee and sometimes in the legs. It’s difficult to move your knee like you normally would– and you’d feel pain doing so. For some people, it becomes harder to walk. There’s soreness in and around the knee. You’re not able to put weight on the affected knee.

How Can Chiropractors Help You By Treating An ACL Injury?

Chiropractors conduct a physical examination and get to know the severity of the injury, and based on their analysis they will suggest the right course of treatment for you.

During the chiropractic treatment, you will have to undergo a series of chiropractic adjustments as that is the best and most effective way to eliminate the strain from the injured muscles and restore complete range of motion. This will enable your body to heal naturally.

Chiropractic adjustments would be applicable when the anterior ligament is suffering from a jerk and swelling and has mild symptoms. But if the ligaments have completely torn, then the chiropractors would employ supportive chiropractic therapy. It is more effective than chiropractic adjustments and helps in faster recovery. Besides reducing the swelling, the treatment will ensure that the ligaments are again connected.

Chiropractic Exercises To Improve Ligament Flexibility

Chiropractic Exercises To Improve Ligament Flexibility

Along with chiropractic treatment sessions, chiropractors will focus on creating an exercise plan for you to do the right set of exercises to heal up. Certain exercises will ensure that the knee muscles do not develop stiffness. With the increasing flexibility of the knee muscle as time goes on, you can get back to your training or games.

Summary

Chiropractic treatment is considered one of the most effective methods that can help treat an ACL injury and get a person back to their normal self. Chiropractors aim to enhance the body holistically. With the right treatment, a person should be able to feel less pain over time, and increase their flexibility and range of motion. If you’ve got a knee issue, definitely see a chiropractor.