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