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Written by our Human Movement Specialists
What to do if you have an ACL injury?
You’ve heard the pop. You’ve felt the pain. You’ve seen the doctor. Someone has likely asked if you will be getting surgery to repair your ACL. This may be a question that has a no brainer answer or it may cause some inner conflict on what to do. Regardless of if you decide to get the ACL reconstructive surgery, a custom knee brace can be beneficial.
What is your ACL or Anterior Cruciate Ligament?
First, let’s discuss what the ACL is and what it actually does. ACL stands for Anterior Cruciate Ligament. The ACL is a ligament in your knee that prevents anterior translation of the tibia. I know, big words. In short, the ACL is a rope-like structure that prevents the forward motion of your lower leg at the knee joint.
How Custom Knee Braces Help?
The function of a custom knee brace is to support the knee the same way that the ACL would. By applying pressure on the front part of the lower leg we are able to prevent any of that anterior translation of the tibia.
Custom knee braces are fantastic regardless if you are getting ACL reconstructive surgery. If you are going with surgery, the custom knee brace will help in providing necessary support for your knee while the ACL heals.
If you do not get the reconstructive surgery, the knee brace will be able to do the job of the ACL until recovered as well as helping prevent re-injury. During the recovery process, the surrounding muscles of the knee will need to work harder. A custom knee brace will be able to take some of that stress off of those muscles.
Either way, a custom knee brace can be beneficial to help the ACL heal, take stress off of the surrounding muscles of the leg, and be used as a protective measure during activity.