Injuries are part of our life; minor or major, everyone suffers from them.

Our body structure is made of bones and flesh. Do you know what keeps the bones intact? The thing is known as ligament. Every joint in our body has multiple ligaments keeping that joint working perfectly. Among these ligaments, some are very stable and safe, whereas, some ligaments are prone to injury. One of such injury prone ligaments is the ACL, Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

ACL: The Ligament Keeping Balance

The ACL is one of the ligaments connecting the femur and the tibia. There are four ligaments in our knee, each with different purposes. The purpose of ACL is to assist our knee while doing pivotal movement. It doesn’t allow the shin bone, which is the tibia , to go in front of the line of femur, the thigh bone. Whenever you are doing rapid movements with changing direction, you are getting assistance from your ACL.

The Injury: How Does It Feel?

Once your ACL is injured, you will feel pain and swelling in the knee along with instability. With partial tear or sprain, you might be able to return to your previous state if you follow your healing procedure properly. But, if there is a grade 3 tear, you might have to go through surgery which takes months to heal.

Prevent It: With No Past Injuries

If you are involved in physical activities with rapid movement and didn’t get your ACL injured for once, you are lucky. Keep working on your quadriceps and hamstring to support your knee joint. Our knee carries most of the body weight whenever we are on our feet. Keep stretching before any heavy activity. Keep doing strength training for betterment.

Prevent It: Possibility of Re-injury

If you are recovering from previous ACL injury or ACL reconstruction surgery, you are more prone to re-tear. However you can return to your full potential once you are completely healed. Follow the rehab protocol with everything you got. The rehab is the X-factor here. Use mobility braces initially for assistance, however don’t keep relying on them for a long time.

Conclusion: Depends on You

You don’t know when an accident is to happen. Just do your part to prevent it. Movement practice,  stretches and gradual weight training are the basics for preventing any joint related injuries. Keep yourself fit and healthy.