ACL tears are injuries of the ligaments in the knee, connecting the joint to the bones. While the severity of the injury varies depending on the type of ligament sprain, it’s usually a painful condition that causes significant distress.

Here are a few activities that may cause ACL tears.

Participating in High-Impact Sports

High impact sports are the biggest cause of ACL tears and related injuries. High impact sports are those in which you have to move excessively and intensely, using your weight-bearing joints including the knees. Individuals who play sports such as football, hockey, or basketball frequently are likely to get injured and sustain an ACL tear because of the nature of the sport.

Since they have to run at high speeds during the game, the chances of them experiencing a high-impact fall are quite high. If this happens, the individual in question will fall much more suddenly than they would have otherwise. The sudden deceleration and impact can tear the anterior cruciate ligament.

Another way that athletes tend to sustain an ACL injury is by the techniques adopted while playing the sport. Stopping suddenly, especially if they were previously moving really fast can also exert force on the ligament, causing it to get torn. Another move that can cause ACL tears is pivoting without lifting the foot. When an athlete does this (for instance, when changing direction mid-run), sudden force is exerted on the ACL. This damages the ligament.

Overusing Your Knees after Having Sustained an Injury Previously

You know what’s worse than getting an ACL tear? Getting an ACL tear again.

The chances of you tearing your anterior cruciate ligament are quite high if you’ve already sustained a similar injury. The ligament may have healed, but it’s still weaker than how it used to be. Thus, if you’ve been doing activities that exert additional pressure on the knee joint and the ligament itself, then you’re at high risk of sustaining an ACL tear (again). This may happen even with basic, everyday activities you engage in such as certain chores or errands.

Wearing Inadequate Footwear

This is less of an activity and more of a habit but wearing the wrong type of footwear can also affect your likeliness of getting injured and damaging your anterior cruciate ligament. Wearing shoes that don’t fit properly or don’t provide sufficient support to your feet can affect the way you walk as well as increase your chances of tripping and falling down. Consequently, the ACL is at risk of getting damaged because of the awkward walking posture you adopt or because of the direct impact caused by a fall.

At RegenerVate Medical Injection Therapy, we use PRP treatment to treat musculoskeletal injuries such as ACL tears. Call our team at 1 855 847-3975 for an appointment at our clinics in the greater Toronto area!