GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 23 – April 10, 2015 | Page 48

sports. The discrepancy has been attributed to gender differences in anatomy, general muscular strength, reaction time
of muscle contraction and coordination, and training techniques. Women also have a relatively wider pelvis, requiring
the femur to angle toward the knees, increased looseness in
ligaments, and the effects of estrogen on ligament properties.
SYMPTOMS
When you injure your anterior cruciate ligament, you might
hear a “popping” noise and you may feel your knee give out
from under you. Other typical symptoms include:
•

Pain with swelling. Within 24 hours, your knee will
swell. If ignored, the swelling and pain may resolve on
its own. However, if you attempt to return to sports,
your knee will probably be unstable and you risk causing further damage to the cushioning cartilage (meniscus) of your knee.

•

Loss of full range of motion

•

Tenderness along the joint line

•

Discomfort while walking

TREATMENT
Treatment for an ACL tear will vary depending upon the
patient’s individual needs. For example, the young athlete
involved in agility sports will most likely require surgery to
safely return to sports. The less active, usually older, individual may be able to return to a quieter lifestyle without
surgery.
Non-surgical treatment consists of either Bracing, to protect the knee from instability, and/or physical therapy once
the swelling is down exercises can be done to restore function to your knee and strengthen the leg muscles that support it.

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Surgical treatment on the other hand is where the ligament
is rebuilt with tissue graft for the new ligament to grow on. As
this regrowth takes time, it can be six months or more before
an athlete is fully returned to their sport.
Unless ACL reconstruction is treatment for a combined ligament injury, it is usually not done right away. This delay gives
the inflammation a chance to resolve, and allows a return of
motion before surgery. Performing an ACL reconstruction too
early greatly increases the risk of arthrofibrosis, or scar forming in the joint, which would risk a loss of knee motion.
Whether your treatment includes surgery or not, rehabilitation plays a vital role in getting you back to your daily activities.
Physical therapy following surgery would be to return motion
to the joint and surrounding muscles, followed by a strengthening program designed to protect the new ligament, finally
followed by a functional return tailored to their sport.
PREVENTION
First and foremost we must avoid getting these kind of injuries in Gaelic Sports as we need to protect the players by a good
injury prevention program. Information from current research
has shown that muscle strength has an important role for the
outcome and the ability to return to sport, in particular, after
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery (Wells et al., 2009).
Recent studies have also suggested that strength training alone
(Askling et al., 2003; Árnason et al., 2008;) and together with
neuromuscular training (Olsen et al., 2005; Myer et al., 2005;
Myer et al., 2008) could both enhance athletic performance
and reduce the rate of injuries.
Ensure that your players have both mobility [