The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the key ligaments that help stabilize the knee joint. The ACL connects your thighbone, or femur, to your shinbone, or tibia. It's most commonly torn during sports that involve sudden stops and changes in direction, such as basketball, soccer, tennis and volleyball.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Matthew Crowe, an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Florida, discusses ACL injury treatment options, including surgery and how proper training can reduce the risk of ACL injury.

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Katie Stone never had an injury in all her years as a competitive athlete. Then she tore her ACL during an alumni basketball game. But now, thanks to reconstructive surgery and physical therapy, Katie's healthy and active once again.

In all her years as a competitive athlete, Katie Stone never had an injury. Not during her four years at Regis High School in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where she was a member of the basketball team that took the state championship in 2011. Not during her college career at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she holds the record for most three-point shots made in a season.

Katie's injury-free streak came to an end, however, a few months after she graduated from college when she hurt her knee during an alumni basketball game at St. Thomas. "At first, I thought I could just walk it off," she says.

"(Dr. Israel) was great. He was very supportive and told me everything he was going to do."

Katie Stone

A week after the game, the knee was still painful and swollen, and Katie was walking with a limp. An MRI revealed that she had torn her ACL and needed surgery to repair it. Then living in the Twin Cities, Katie returned to Eau Claire for surgery. T. Andrew Israel, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire performed the procedure in February 2017.

"I know a lot of people in the Eau Claire area who have had knee surgery, and they all recommended Dr. Israel," Katie says. "He was great. He was very supportive and told me everything he was going to do."

Katie began physical therapy in Eau Claire immediately after surgery. When she returned to the Twin Cities, her therapy sessions continued with Sports Medicine at Mayo Clinic Square in Minneapolis.

"It took me a full year to recover, but I'm back to living a very active life."

Katie Stone

Katie says it was a smooth transition. "They (the physical therapy staff in Eau Claire) were super helpful in bringing the Minneapolis staff up to speed on my recovery," says Katie, who enjoyed rehabbing in the same facility where the Minnesota Lynx and Minnesota Timberwolves receive treatment. Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine provides medical care to both teams, whose practice courts are at Mayo Clinic Square.

At first, Katie worried her injury could sideline her permanently. "My biggest concern in the beginning was whether or not I'd be able to be active again," she says. "I'd never experienced that kind of setback and was scared of what it meant for my future."

But with the support and encouragement of her Mayo care team, coupled with her own hard work, Katie's been able to return to the lifestyle that she loves.

"It took me a full year to recover, but I'm back to living a very active life," she says. That includes playing recreational basketball, joining a summer tennis league and running her first half-marathon. "Now I feel great."

Note: A version of this story originally was published in Hometown Health.

HELPFUL LINKS

• Learn more about ACL injuries.
• Read about Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery.
• Check out Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine.
• Do you have experience with an ACL tear or a musculoskeletal injury? Talk with others in the Bones, Joints & Muscles group on Mayo Clinic Connect.
• Explore Mayo Clinic Health System.
• Request an appointment.

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On the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast, Dr. Michael Joyner, an anesthesiologist and human performance expert at Mayo Clinic, discusses common characteristics shared by elite athletes and what amateurs can do to improve sports performance. Also on the podcast, Dr. Edward Laskowski, co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center, explains knee injuries to the ACL and discusses how proper technique can help prevent ACL tears. And Dr. Jay Smith, vice-chair of Mayo Clinic Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Minnesota, shares how regenerative medicine is being used to treat musculoskeletal and spine conditions.

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On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Michael Joyner, an anesthesiologist and human performance expert at Mayo Clinic, will discuss common characteristics shared by elite athletes and what amateurs can do to improve sports performance. Also on the program, Dr. Edward Laskowski, co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center, will explain knee injuries to the ACL and discuss how proper technique can help prevent ACL tears. And Dr. Jay Smith, vice-chair of Mayo Clinic Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Minnesota, will share how regenerative medicine is being used to treat musculoskeletal and spine conditions.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Follow #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

Access archived shows.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Improving sports performance appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Michael Joyner, an anesthesiologist and human performance expert at Mayo Clinic, will discuss common characteristics shared by elite athletes and what amateurs can do to improve sports performance. Also on the program, Dr. Edward Laskowski, co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center, will explain knee injuries to the ACL and discuss how proper technique can help prevent ACL tears. And Dr. Jay Smith, vice-chair of Mayo Clinic Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Minnesota, will share how regenerative medicine is being used to treat musculoskeletal and spine conditions.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Miss the show?  Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Follow #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

Access archived shows.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Sports performance / ACL injuries / regenerative medicine appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’m a 25-year-old woman, and I recently tore my ACL playing basketball. My doctor says I don’t need surgery and recommends physical rehabilitation instead. Can rehab completely fix the problem, so I can stay active? I love playing basketball and skiing. I don’t want to give them up, but I don’t want to wreck my knee either.

ANSWER: Surgery isn’t always necessary to treat an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. Physical rehabilitation can strengthen the muscles around the joint and, in some cases, allow a return to physical activity. But, that’s usually true only if your activity does not involve aggressive cut and pivot movements, or jumping and high impact. The activities you mention, however, raise your risk for knee instability if you choose not to have your ACL repaired surgically.

Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that connect one bone to another. Your ACL is one of two ligaments that cross in the middle of the knee and connect your thighbone, or femur, to your shinbone, or tibia. The ACL helps to keep your knee joint stable

When the ACL is torn, it usually causes knee pain and swelling. After an ACL injury, you also may feel instability in the knee or feel that the knee is "giving way" when you turn quickly or pivot. Often, a “pop” is heard or felt. ACL injuries frequently happen as a result of suddenly stopping, changing directions or pivoting. Sports that put you at risk of an ACL injury include basketball, singles tennis, football, volleyball and soccer. Downhill skiing also puts you at risk, because the length of a ski, combined with the rigidity of ski boots, places considerable force on your knee.

The purpose of treatment for an ACL injury is to reduce pain and swelling, restore normal knee movement, strengthen the muscles around the joint and allow a return to activity. For some people, this can be achieved with physical rehabilitation alone. If one of the menisci — the cushioning cartilage in the knee joint — is also torn, however, that can increase knee instability, making surgery the best option. It is worthwhile to note, too, that an ACL tear raises your risk of developing arthritis in your knee joint later in life. Studies show that risk to be similar whether or not you have surgical reconstruction.

Rehabilitation often involves working with a physical therapist to learn exercises that strengthen your leg muscles, as well as the muscles in your hips, pelvis and lower abdomen. Increasing muscle strength helps stabilize your knee joint, making it less susceptible to further injury.

To lower your risk of another ACL tear, a physical therapist should assess your movement patterns when you jump, land, pivot and change directions. Often, this will include a video analysis of how you land from a jump. Improving your movement patterns with corrective exercises can go a long way toward protecting against ACL injuries.

As you go back to your activities, having the proper gear also can help lower your risk of injury. Wear appropriate footwear when you play basketball. When you go downhill skiing, adjust your bindings correctly, so your skis will release when you fall. Some people wear a knee brace after an ACL injury, especially if they have not had surgical reconstruction. Research has shown, however, that wearing a brace does not appear to prevent or reduce the risk of an ACL injury.

If you continue to have episodes of knee instability despite physical rehabilitation or if you want to return to activities that place your knee at higher risk for further injury, consider ACL reconstruction surgery. Because a torn ACL can't be sewn back together, surgery involves replacing the torn ligament with a piece of tissue (i.e., a portion of your patellar or hamstring tendons) called a graft.

Talk to your doctor and your physical therapist about your sports and activity desires after your ACL injury. They can help you create a treatment plan that fits your goals and gives you the best odds for a safe return to activity. — Dr. Edward Laskowski, Sports Medicine Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

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Acid reflux and heartburn are common digestive conditions that many people experience from time to time. When these digestive problems happen more often and begin to interfere with your daily life, you may have gastroesophageal reflux disease, known as GERD, which is a chronic digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid flows back into your esophagus. On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, gastroenterologist Dr. Jeffrey Alexander covers treatment for GERD and how lifestyle changes can improve the condition. Also on the program, obstetrician Dr. Yvonne Butler Tobah discusses the difficult subject of miscarriage. And, sports medicine specialist Dr. Ed Laskowski explains an all-too-common knee injury, the torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Listen to the program on Saturday, July 9, at 9:05 a.m. CDT, and follow #MayoClinicRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: GERD / Miscarriage / ACL Injury appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Listen to the program on Saturday, July 9, at 9:05 a.m. CDT.

Miss the show?  Here's the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Follow #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

Access archived shows.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: GERD / Miscarriage / ACL Injury appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.