Juddy's ACL Injury

JUDDY'S ACL INJURY

ACL injuries are relatively common in the sporting world. They occurs most commonly is sports that involve high speed changes of direction when running and landing such as football, soccer, basketball and netball.

In 2013 there were 23 ACL reconstructions in the AFL alone!

Chris Judd has been all over the news in the past week following his ACL injury. For those who saw the incident Judd landed on a single leg and a rotation occurred at his knee under his entire body weight. The knee is not designed to take this kind of rotation load and his ACL is stressed to the point where it ruptures.

The video below shows where the ACL lies and how it becomes stressed on a rapid change of direction.

These injuries do not often happen in isolation. They are generally combined with damage to other knee structures such as the medial ligament or joint cartilage.

Judd will undergo an ACL reconstruction where a new ligament will be created most likely using a piece of hamstring tendon. Following surgery he will undergo extensive rehabilitation over the next 9-12 months to make sure his knee return to optimal function.

This is where us PHYSIOTHERAPISTS come into play. We are the experts in guiding the treatment and rehabilitation process to ensure optimal levels of movement and strength are achieved and it is important this process if completed entirely to prevent secondary issues and even recurrent injury.

Devon Soutar - Physiotherapist @ ABSOLUTE