It’s the “pop” you don’t want to feel: the sensation of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) – one of the four major ligaments of the knee – tearing or stretching abnormally after a sudden twisting motion.
Inova Sports Medicine offers comprehensive diagnosis, advanced treatment and individualized rehabilitation for ACL injuries for all ages. We work with you to help prevent your ACL injury from affecting your athletic career or your physical activity goals.
What is an ACL injury?
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) connects the thighbone, or femur, to the lower leg bone (tibia) and stabilizes the knee joint.
ACL injuries are often the result of activity that requires a “plant and pivot” change-of-direction movement by the knees and feet, such as basketball, football, soccer or skiing. Women are more likely than men to suffer an ACL injury.
These movements also can injure your ACL:
- Sudden changes in speed (fast to slow, or stop) followed by a sudden twisting movement
- Overextending your knee and then turning
- Getting hit on the side of your knee
Treatments
Inova Sports Medicine treats ACL injuries with dedication and focus. We provide all the care you need at our center, so you don’t have to travel elsewhere for excellent, personalized rehabilitation care.
We offer:
- Onsite sports medicine experts and resources to expedite care and treatment
- Rehabilitation by physical therapists certified in ACL injury care
- Sportsmetrics™ training, a national ACL injury prevention program to improve strength, balance, flexibility, and performance and prevent injury
- Outreach services to train coaches and players about ACL injury and prevention
Our team
Our ACL injury treatment team includes:
- Sports medicine physicians
- Orthopaedic surgeons
- Physical therapists
- Athletic trainers
Preventing ACL injuries
We work with athletes who are returning to play to help improve their strength and make them more aware of their bodies. We also educate parents, coaches and trainers about how to keep athletes healthy and injury free.
Learn more About Inova's outreach programs
Our physical therapists and athletic trainers are certified in Sportsmetrics. This national program offers athletes a competitive edge using dynamic, advanced knee and lower extremity injury prevention and rehabilitation techniques. We provide Sportmetrics training for local coaches and athletic trainers to help their team members prevent injury.
We also offer the full spectrum of knee injury treatment services for a comprehensive level of complete knee care.