Need a knee specialist in Carlsbad?
Sports injuries are part of the game. Players usually don’t plan to get hurt, but eventually it does happen. One of the seven most common sports injuries is an Anterior Cruciate Ligament tear, most commonly known as an ACL tear. If you do suspect you might have a serious ligament problem, it’s important to see the right healthcare provider. Fortunately, Gaspar Doctors of Physical Therapy has a knee specialist in Carlsbad.
More About ACL Injuries
What is an ACL injury and why does it happen? Each of our knees is stabilized by cruciate ligaments. When we walk, it’s easy to maintain stability at a comfortable pace, and we have great control over the level of impact our knee feels from the surface we’re walking on. However, not only does playing sports increase the impact on our knee, some sports involve sudden stops or turns. It’s usually these stops and turns, at increased speeds, that cause ACL tears. Many athletes hear a ‘popping’ sound when they suffer this type of injury, followed by severe pain and swelling.
Female athletes are more than twice as likely to suffer ACL tears then male athletes playing the same sports.
It’s Easy to Tear an ACL
ACL sprains and tears are among the most common knee injuries. They happen to about 200,000 people a year in the U.S., racking up an annual health care cost of more than $2 billion.
They put weekend warriors and pro athletes side by side in the ranks of the walking wounded.
“We’re talking about a huge cross-section of society,” says Andrew Cosgarea, MD, an orthopedic surgeon who leads the Division of Sports Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where he serves as head team doctor for the athletic department.
Cosgarea says he’s treated ACL tears caused by roughhousing with friends after school, dancing at a party on a Friday night, or jumping on a trampoline.
“The risk is highest for people involved in cutting and pivoting sports,” he says. “But basically, everybody who is involved in physical activity is at risk.”
Reference: https://www.webmd.com/men/features/acl-recovery-plan
What to expect from a knee specialist in Carlsbad:
- A thorough evaluation to assess your pain, ligament involvement.
- In-depth patient education about your treatment options and goals.
- Cold therapy depending on the stage of your injury.
- Help with recovering your ability to painlessly walk.
- Exercises to improve range of motion, flexibility, strength and power.
- A home program.
- Regular assessments to measure progress.
- If necessary, a referral to a surgeon if conservative care fails.
We Also Provide Post-surgical Rehabilitation
Sometimes conservative care is not enough. At times, you need surgery to reconstruct the ACL and reestablish stability in the knee.
If you’ve had surgery, we have considerable experience providing both elite athletes and weekend warriors treatment to help you avoid postoperative complications as well as get your knee back to full function.
