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Explanation on the ACL Sprain - Time sensitive - starting in 20

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by Galant, Dec 12, 2016.

  1. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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  2. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    what did they say?
     
    resnor likes this.
  3. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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  4. Surfs Up 99

    Surfs Up 99 Team Flores & Team Tua

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    Per Armando,

    RT is getting a 2nd MRI done today. If he doesn't have ACL surgery, then they are hoping scar tissue will form over the tear. He will also have to strengthen the muscles that support the knee to help keep it stable, and will probably have to wear a knee brace here on out. There is always concern that the ligament may completely tear in the future.
     
  5. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    "Partial ACL Tears:
    A partial ACL tear involves an injury to only a portion of the ACL. That means that only one of the two bundles was torn. That means that the second bundle is intact. Many patients who sustain a partial ACL tear will be able to return to their prior level of activity without complaints of buckling, instability or giving way. It may, however, take many months to recover from the injury and to complete the extensive rehabilitation necessary.

    Unfortunately, a fair number of you with a partial ACL tear will not be able to return to sports because your knee feels unstable or loose. Therein lies the issue with partial ACL tears … some people with a partial tear will not complain of instability of their knee with sports, but some might.

    What I’m getting at is simply the fact that we should not look at your ACL tear as being “partial” or “complete”, we look at your KNEE as being “functional” or “non-functional” or “stable” vs. “unstable”.

    If you have a functional and stable partial tear of your ACL, that means that you have torn a certain portion of your ACL fibers, however, you are still able to participate in sports without the feeling of the knee giving way or being unstable. If you possess a nonfunctional partial tear of your ACL, that means that you have torn enough of your ACL fibers that your knee no longer feels stable. That means that you are at risk of further injury if you return to your prior level of sports participation. Every time your knee buckles or gives way you run the risk of tearing other structures within the knee, such as the medial or lateral meniscus. If you sustain tears of either the medial or lateral meniscus, which are the shock absorbers with within the knee, then you are at risk of developing osteoarthritis. You therefore want to eliminate or minimize the risk of buckling, instability or giving way and therefore a patient who presents with a partial ACL tear, who complains of instability, will likely present as an appropriate candidate to consider an ACL reconstruction or possibly an ACL augmentation.

    ACL Repair Options – If Partial ACL tear surgery is necessary:
    The difference between an ACL reconstruction and an ACL augmentation is fairly simple. During the process of an ACL reconstruction we will reconstruct or replace the entire ruptured ligament. Anatomically, the ACL is composed of two separate bundles and a complete reconstruction will compensate for both of those bundles. In an ACL augmentation, you have only sustained a partial tear. That means that a portion of your ACL remains intact and should be normal. Many competent sports medicine orthopedic surgeons are capable of reconstructing only the torn portion of the ligament, leaving the normal portion alone. There are many advantages to an ACL partial tear augmentation over a full ACL reconstruction. While the discomfort, and the nature of the surgery is virtually identical – – – it is far more likely that someone who undergoes an augmentation will have a much more natural feeling knee when all is said and done. The reason for that is because the normal ACL has certain nerves within it. Those nerve fibers give the brain certain feedback as to the position of the knee joint. It turns out that those nerve fibers are quite important. If we preserve the intact portion of your ACL, then we are preserving those nerve fibers and hopefully preserving the integrity of your knee in the long run."
     
  6. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    LINK

    "Cruciate Ligaments
    These are found inside your knee joint. They cross each other to form an "X" with the anterior cruciate ligament in front and the posterior cruciate ligament in back. The cruciate ligaments control the back and forth motion of your knee.

    The anterior cruciate ligament runs diagonally in the middle of the knee. It prevents the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, as well as provides rotational stability to the knee.

    Description
    About half of all injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament occur along with damage to other structures in the knee, such as articular cartilage, meniscus, or other ligaments.

    Injured ligaments are considered "sprains" and are graded on a severity scale.

    Grade 1 Sprains. The ligament is mildly damaged in a Grade 1 Sprain. It has been slightly stretched, but is still able to help keep the knee joint stable.

    Grade 2 Sprains. A Grade 2 Sprain stretches the ligament to the point where it becomes loose. This is often referred to as a partial tear of the ligament.

    Grade 3 Sprains. This type of sprain is most commonly referred to as a complete tear of the ligament. The ligament has been split into two pieces, and the knee joint is unstable."



    [​IMG]

    Treatment
    Treatment for an ACL tear will vary depending upon the patient's individual needs. For example, the young athlete involved in agility sports will most likely require surgery to safely return to sports. The less active, usually older, individual may be able to return to a quieter lifestyle without surgery.

    Nonsurgical Treatment
    A torn ACL will not heal without surgery. But nonsurgical treatment may be effective for patients who are elderly or have a very low activity level. If the overall stability of the knee is intact, your doctor may recommend simple, nonsurgical options.

    Bracing. Your doctor may recommend a brace to protect your knee from instability. To further protect your knee, you may be given crutches to keep you from putting weight on your leg.

    Physical therapy. As the swelling goes down, a careful rehabilitation program is started. Specific exercises will restore function to your knee and strengthen the leg muscles that support it.

    Surgical Treatment
    Rebuilding the ligament. Most ACL tears cannot be sutured (stitched) back together. To surgically repair the ACL and restore knee stability, the ligament must be reconstructed. Your doctor will replace your torn ligament with a tissue graft. This graft acts as a scaffolding for a new ligament to grow on.

    Grafts can be obtained from several sources. Often they are taken from the patellar tendon, which runs between the kneecap and the shinbone. Hamstring tendons at the back of the thigh are a common source of grafts. Sometimes a quadriceps tendon, which runs from the kneecap into the thigh, is used. Finally, cadaver graft (allograft) can be used.

    There are advantages and disadvantages to all graft sources. You should discuss graft choices with your own orthopaedic surgeon to help determine which is best for you.

    Because the regrowth takes time, it may be six months or more before an athlete can return to sports after surgery.

    Procedure. Surgery to rebuild an anterior cruciate ligament is done with an arthroscope using small incisions. Arthroscopic surgery is less invasive. The benefits of less invasive techniques include less pain from surgery, less time spent in the hospital, and quicker recovery times.



    Unless ACL reconstruction is treatment for a combined ligament injury, it is usually not done right away. This delay gives the inflammation a chance to resolve, and allows a return of motion before surgery. Performing an ACL reconstruction too early greatly increases the risk of arthrofibrosis, or scar forming in the joint, which would risk a loss of knee motion."
     
  7. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    The whole "at risk for a full tear in the future" is what concerns me. How do they keep that from happening? Are there ways to minimize the chances?
     
  8. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    I think that's what the second MRI is for, and further analysis. They need to determine whether to let this be or go ahead and do reconstructive surgery anyway. If they let it be, they'll certainly want to evaluate it down the line and go from there.

    As for the long term future, there are, of course, no guarantees of anything. Not even for a healthy QB. So Tannehill has to trust the docs will make the best decision and, preferably, that the tear is truly minimal.
     

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