Ligament Injuries

If you tear your ACL you may feel or hear a pop in your knee and have intense pain and immediate swelling. When you try to stand and put weight on your injured leg, your knee may "buckle" or at least feel as if it might give way. In most cases, you'll have to stop all activity, either because the pain is too severe or because your knee isn't stable enough to support your weight.

Your ACL ligament is located inside your knee and crosses the PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament) as they stretch diagonally from the bottom of your thighbone to the top of your shinbone (tibia). The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) connects near the front of your shinbone.

An ACL injury should be treated with a splint, ice and elevation of the joint (above the level of the heart). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) will reduce inflammation and provide pain relief. The patient should not continue to play until evaluation and treatment has taken place. Some people may need crutches to walk until the swelling and pain has improved.

ACL Reconstruction may be required in some cases where instability continues. Quadriceps strengthening will be prescribed to you by your clinician as part of your rehabilitation programme. Pre and post surgery strengthening is essential in ensuring effective rehabilitation and KNEEHAB® will provide you with a clinically proven home based therapy to help regain your leg strength and joint movement thereby speeding recovery following surgery.

The quadriceps muscle is the most important stabilizer of the knee. After ligament damage / injury pain and swelling often cause disuse, which leads to muscle weakness. After an initial period of pain relief treatment and keeping the knee still, knee strengthening and stretching exercises should be done. An essential component of your rehabilitation after injury is strengthening of the quadriceps muscle and KNEEHAB® is ideal for this purpose.

KNEEHAB® is an innovative and clinically proven, garment-based Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) device. It is designed specifically to treat quadriceps atrophy (thigh muscle wastage) that arises from being unable to exercise after your ligament injury. It re-educates the muscle by sending gentle electrical pulses through pads placed on the surface of the skin. This electrical stimulation applied to the motor nerve re-educates and strengthens the quadriceps muscle through cycles of contraction and relaxation.

It is recommended that KNEEHAB® be used in conjunction with voluntary exercise in order to optimize and control your rehabilitation.