>This is reposting my blog entry from Multiply dated February 10, 2006
ACL Tear and Grade II MCL sprain
definition of terms
1. anterior cruciate ligament injury – extreme stretching or tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee. A tear may be partial or complete.
2. The knee is essentially a modified hinge joint located where the end of the femur (thigh bone) meets the top of the tibia (shin bone). There are four main ligaments connecting these two bones:
medial collateral ligament(MCL) — runs along the inner part of the knee and prevents the knee from bending inward.
lateral collateral ligament (LCL) — runs along the outer part of the knee and prevents the knee from bending outward.
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) — lies in the middle of the knee. It prevents the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, and provides rotational stability to the knee.
posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) — works in concert with the ACL. It prevents the tibia from sliding backwards under the femur.
The ACL and PCL cross each other inside the knee forming an “X.” This is why they are called the “cruciate” (cross-like) ligaments.
ACL injuries are often associated with other injuries. The “unhappy triad” is a classic example, in which the ACL is torn at the same time as the MCL and the medial meniscus (one of the shock-absorbing cartilages in the knee).
3. MCL injuries are graded on a scale of I to III. A grade I injury is a small tear within the ligament, and a grade III injury is a complete tear of the MCL.
4. ACL tears may be due to contact or non-contact injuries. A blow to the side of the knee, such as may occur during a football tackle, may result in an ACL tear.
Alternatively, coming to a quick stop, combined with a direction change while running, pivoting, landing from a jump, or overextending the knee joint, can cause injury to the ACL.
I tore my ACL last Sunday during the UP vs UST game. It ended in a 0-0 tie. As far as I know, I was running towards an attacker who was approaching our defensive third and as I reached her, I tried to position myself so i could gain possession of the ball. She was going in one direction and i was going another way, and we collided and then I heard a “CCCRRRRRUUUNNNCCCCHH” sound. Something like knuckles being cracked. I fell and then couldn’t stand up anymore.
After the game, my family brought me to the ER of Asian Hospital. They did an xray and saw nothing wrong. The next day i saw the Air21 team doctor, Dr. Rafanan who instructed me to get an MRI. Tuesday afternoon, I patiently waited for 30 mins to get scanned, and then had to lie still for another 30 minutes in the noisy MRI machine. I tried sleeping but it was just too loud. The results would be out the next day.
By Wednesday, I could walk without crutches and without wearing an immobilizer. That night, the Air21 team celebrated their 3rd place finish in the PBA San Mig Coffee conference in Gateway. My whole family and the Air21 basketball team were there in Superbowl of China for dinner. At that time, my family knew what the results were, but they just wanted me to finish eating before they told me. So Dr. Rafanan ended up telling me about my injury and the do’s and dont’s. Don’t go running or jumping. Surgery is a must do. Do drink your medicine.
I texted my teammates and friends after i found out. I sort of knew what this injury is all about since Andoni tore his ACL in our senior year of high school.
Today, I was welcomed into the ACL club by coach karen, louise, kae, vicki and carlo. Its weird because I never really thought it would happen to me. The ACL injury isn’t a new thing in my sphere of consciousness but somehow it’s just different when its me who is experiencing it.
We drew our game against DLSU, 0-0. So far we still can get into the finals. Yay!
So now i just have to find a surgeon and get my knee fixed.
1. anterior cruciate ligament injury – extreme stretching or tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee. A tear may be partial or complete.
2. The knee is essentially a modified hinge joint located where the end of the femur (thigh bone) meets the top of the tibia (shin bone). There are four main ligaments connecting these two bones:
medial collateral ligament(MCL) — runs along the inner part of the knee and prevents the knee from bending inward.
lateral collateral ligament (LCL) — runs along the outer part of the knee and prevents the knee from bending outward.
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) — lies in the middle of the knee. It prevents the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, and provides rotational stability to the knee.
posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) — works in concert with the ACL. It prevents the tibia from sliding backwards under the femur.
The ACL and PCL cross each other inside the knee forming an “X.” This is why they are called the “cruciate” (cross-like) ligaments.
ACL injuries are often associated with other injuries. The “unhappy triad” is a classic example, in which the ACL is torn at the same time as the MCL and the medial meniscus (one of the shock-absorbing cartilages in the knee).
3. MCL injuries are graded on a scale of I to III. A grade I injury is a small tear within the ligament, and a grade III injury is a complete tear of the MCL.
4. ACL tears may be due to contact or non-contact injuries. A blow to the side of the knee, such as may occur during a football tackle, may result in an ACL tear.
Alternatively, coming to a quick stop, combined with a direction change while running, pivoting, landing from a jump, or overextending the knee joint, can cause injury to the ACL.
I tore my ACL last Sunday during the UP vs UST game. It ended in a 0-0 tie. As far as I know, I was running towards an attacker who was approaching our defensive third and as I reached her, I tried to position myself so i could gain possession of the ball. She was going in one direction and i was going another way, and we collided and then I heard a “CCCRRRRRUUUNNNCCCCHH” sound. Something like knuckles being cracked. I fell and then couldn’t stand up anymore.
After the game, my family brought me to the ER of Asian Hospital. They did an xray and saw nothing wrong. The next day i saw the Air21 team doctor, Dr. Rafanan who instructed me to get an MRI. Tuesday afternoon, I patiently waited for 30 mins to get scanned, and then had to lie still for another 30 minutes in the noisy MRI machine. I tried sleeping but it was just too loud. The results would be out the next day.
By Wednesday, I could walk without crutches and without wearing an immobilizer. That night, the Air21 team celebrated their 3rd place finish in the PBA San Mig Coffee conference in Gateway. My whole family and the Air21 basketball team were there in Superbowl of China for dinner. At that time, my family knew what the results were, but they just wanted me to finish eating before they told me. So Dr. Rafanan ended up telling me about my injury and the do’s and dont’s. Don’t go running or jumping. Surgery is a must do. Do drink your medicine.
I texted my teammates and friends after i found out. I sort of knew what this injury is all about since Andoni tore his ACL in our senior year of high school.
Today, I was welcomed into the ACL club by coach karen, louise, kae, vicki and carlo. Its weird because I never really thought it would happen to me. The ACL injury isn’t a new thing in my sphere of consciousness but somehow it’s just different when its me who is experiencing it.
We drew our game against DLSU, 0-0. So far we still can get into the finals. Yay!
So now i just have to find a surgeon and get my knee fixed.
