ACL ? Patella Immobilisation ?

[Boydy]

Can someone please tell me what a ACL is, I can find how to rehab and lots of people talking about it but I can't find anywhere that says what it actually is.
Also can someone please explain what is involved with Patella Immobilisation, I have looked it up but it just says that it is important to do these after a LR. But doesn't say what you do   
Obviously I am looking in the wrong places, but thought this would be the quickest way to find the info  . Thanks
Boydy

[Alla]

Your ACL is your Anterior Cruciate Ligament. It is the smallest ligament in your knee joint and crosses over inside the knee with the Prosterior Cruciate Ligament.  It has a poor blood supply, so chances are if you have torn it that it wont repair by itself. It is responsible for knee stability, and is a real bugger to tear in my experience. 

Alla 

[SPK]

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Knee_diagram.png to have a look at a good diagram.
The ACL primarily serves to stabilize the knee in an extended position and when surrounding muscles are relaxed, so if the muscles are strong many people can function without it. However, lack of an ACL generally increases the risk of other knee injuries such as torn meniscus.

Basically it's responsible for keeping the knee stable when you're doing any twisting or pivoting moves.

As Alla said, there is very little blood flow to that area so unfortunately any damage done to it is quite often irreversible without Surgey.

[favouritesearcher]

Hi again Boydy,

I think you meant patella mobilisations, not immobilisations (or immobilizations).  Here is a link to a post where it has been discussed before  (on Dec 24th, 2004).  As you said, everyone talks about them but no-one says what they are.  They should start first day post-op.  Basically, it's just moving the kneecap side to side, up and down and pressing it down at the bottom end so as to force the top end to come out of the joint, and doing the same with the patellar tendon (tendon which goes from kneecap to tibia).
http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php?topic=11244.msg78947#msg78947

If you do find that you have a scar tissue problem, this link goes into the special arthrofibrosis rehab in a bit more detail:
http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php?topic=13317.0

Thanks for your post in the 'Arthrofibrosis Specialist in Australia' thread; I'm going to see Dr Cross next week.  Fortunately I don't have a pain problem with it for the time being.

Cheers.

John

[Boydy]

Thank you for the replys everyone,  John, thanks for the correction, yes that is what I meant, I get so confused with all the terms,  they were great sites you gave me, exactly what I was looking for.  Good luck with your appointment, I too have got in to see another specialist in Brisbane, on the 15th Nov,  Dr Malisano,  supposed to be pretty knowlegable ,  I just hope he is up on Arthrofrobrosis,  as I really don't think I am going to be satisfied until that is definatley ruled out.  Heather M has got me pretty convinced that it may well be my problem all this time. Her stories about her knee problems sound so familiar to me. Fingers crossed that we do have someone in this country that know what they are talking about. Wish we had a Dr Steadman to go to.    Best of luck.
Boydy