| Football is popular in the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and | | | | ACL injury. A blow to the knee from the front. |
| Bahrain. Every town in the Middle east has a large | | | | Patients with cruciate ligament injuries are prone to |
| stadium and the game is played in the streets and | | | | develop tears of the menisci(semilunar cartilages) and |
| village playgrounds. with the world cup around the | | | | this can lead to secondary osteoarthritis |
| corner, many amateur footballers will try their skills at | | | | Symptoms |
| the game. | | | | The person falls to the ground and is unable to |
| The game of football extracts a heavy toll of | | | | continue the sport or activity which he was pursuing. |
| ligament and cartilage injuries of the knee joint. These | | | | He can feel or hear a popping sound in the knee joint. |
| are the commonest ligament injuries and the anterior | | | | A swelling develops rapidly. There is a feeling of |
| cruciate ligament has been considered as the most | | | | instability in the knee joint. Pain in the knee |
| valuable piece of connective tissue in the human | | | | immediately, which worsens with the onset of |
| body as professional football clubs hand over | | | | swelling. Repeated giving away of the knee can occur |
| contracts to footballers worth several millions of | | | | as the patient runs around curves or while coming |
| Euros and dollars and withdraw them immediately if | | | | downstairs |
| the player is injured. The MOH hospitals in Oman, | | | | What is the future for a patient with an ACL injury? |
| Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia treat a large number of | | | | Complete ACL injuries result in instability of the knee |
| knee injuries. There have been a larger number of | | | | joint. Whenever the person runs or comes |
| new concepts in the treatment of this injury. | | | | downstairs rapidly the tibia slides off the femur. This |
| ACL Injury(anterior cruciate ligament injury) | | | | can lead to repeated falls. These can result in injuries |
| Anatomical background- | | | | to the semilunar cartilages or menisci. Meniscal tears |
| The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) is one of four | | | | can lead to mechanical symptoms like locking or |
| ligaments stabilising the knee joint. Ligaments are cord | | | | unexpected falls. |
| like tissues, which connect one bone to another. In | | | | A combination of persistent ligamentous laxity and |
| the knee joint there are four ligaments, namely the | | | | meniscal tears can result in the development of |
| medial collateral (inner), lateral collateral (outer), the | | | | secondary osteo-arthritis. |
| anterior cruciate and the posterior cruciate. The | | | | Treatment- RICE |
| anterior cruciate ligament runs from the back of the | | | | (Rest, ice, compression, elevation). An ACL injury is a |
| thigh-bone to the front of the inner side of the shin | | | | serious one which needs medical attention |
| or leg bone. It prevents the leg bone from sliding off | | | | immediately. The surgeon may aspirate the blood |
| in front from the thigh bone. The ACL injury can be a | | | | inside the joint to provide comfort. He may order a |
| partial sprain or a complete tear | | | | MRI scan to confirm the diagnosis immediately. An |
| Mechanism of injury- | | | | ACL injury can be treated conservatively in those |
| The most common mechanism is a sports injury | | | | individuals who are willing to restrict their sporting |
| where there is a cutting or twisting injury to the | | | | activity. For those unwilling to do so, surgical |
| knee. | | | | treatment is advisable. Surgical treatment consists of |
| Activities for risk | | | | an examination under anesthesia, arthroscopy and |
| Injuries in sports like football when the player tries to | | | | ACL reconstruction. The orthopedic surgeon may |
| tackle from the back, his knee twists and he falls to | | | | decide to take a graft from the patellar tendon or |
| the ground. Involvements in other sports like | | | | hamstrings. Bony tunnels are drilled through the tibia |
| basketball, cricket, skiing and hockey can also result in | | | | and femur and the graft is fixed. |