Anterior cruciate ligament injuries

We review the clinical assessment of patients with an ACL injury.  

This includes aspects of the history and examination that are suggestive of this injury.  We discuss the imaging of acute knee injuries and examine the different options available for the treatment of ACL deficiency.

The knee is one of the most common locations for injury in athletes. In most ‘football’ codes knee injuries are second only to injuries involving the thigh (hamstring and quadriceps strains and contusions).

After completing this module you should know:

• how to recognise an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury from clinical history taking
• the clinical examination techniques which are required to make a diagnosis of an ACL injury
• the role of imaging in ACL injury
• the different treatment options for ACL injury
•  how to implement an ACL prevention program.

Acknowledgements

This content was created by Dr Mark Fulcher MBChB, MMedSci, FACSEP.  It has been updated by Dr Helen Joyce Fulcher MBChB, DipPaed, PGCertHSc (Sports Med), in 2017.