PROF. DR. SAMMY HANNAMD · FACS · FRCS (TR&ORTH) · CCT (TR&ORTH)
ACL INJURY / ACL TEAR · ABU DHABI
ACL injuries often follow a pivot, sudden stop, awkward landing or contact event. The first assessment connects the mechanism, swelling, range of motion, ligament stability and any associated meniscus or cartilage injury with the activities and sport the person needs to return to. ACL injury assessment in Abu Dhabi is available at Healthpoint Hospital.
CHAPTER 01 · THE PATTERN
Choose the description closest to the injury. The pattern helps organise the assessment; it does not prove an ACL tear by itself.
Rapid cutting or pivoting is a classic ACL injury mechanism. The assessment looks at immediate pain, swelling, instability and whether the meniscus, cartilage or another ligament may also have been injured.
See what the examination checks →CHAPTER 02 · EXAMINATION
ACL diagnosis is built from the injury history and a structured knee examination. Swelling or guarding can affect the early assessment, so findings are interpreted with motion, tenderness, stability and comparison with the other knee.
Pivoting, sudden deceleration, awkward landing or contact provide useful context, especially when followed by swelling or giving way.
ACL-focused tests assess abnormal forward movement and rotational instability, interpreted alongside guarding and the opposite knee.
Swelling and loss of extension or flexion matter before progressing rehabilitation and before any surgical plan is finalised.
Meniscus, cartilage, MCL, PCL and other structures are assessed because combined injuries can change treatment and rehabilitation.
Walking, work, cutting, pivoting and competitive sport place very different stability demands on the knee.
“The mechanism tells you where to look. Stability testing tells you what the knee is doing now.”
CHAPTER 03 · ACL & IMAGING
The ACL runs diagonally through the centre of the knee and contributes to forward and rotational stability. MRI is not required to make every ACL diagnosis, but it is useful for defining the ligament injury and associated meniscus, cartilage or other soft-tissue damage when that information will change management.
SELECTED OBSERVATION 01 / 03
CHAPTER 05 · DECISION
Not simply because the MRI says “ACL tear.” Reconstruction becomes more relevant when the knee remains functionally unstable, the person needs reliable pivoting or cutting for sport or work, or associated injuries make surgical stabilisation more appropriate.
The knee gives way or cannot be trusted during the movements that matter despite an appropriate rehabilitation plan.
Pivoting sport, hard cutting, turning or heavy manual work can make recurrent instability unacceptable.
Meniscus, cartilage or additional ligament injury may change the timing, procedure and rehabilitation plan.
Reconstruction is followed by structured rehabilitation and a criteria-based return to sport rather than an immediate return to competition.
IF THE NEXT QUESTION BECOMES MORE SPECIFIC
These pages separate the operation, associated instability and return-to-sport questions.
THE FUNCTION THAT MATTERS
Recovery is not judged by a calendar date alone. Symptoms, swelling, motion, strength, balance, movement control and functional testing help build the picture before running, cutting and competition are progressed.
RELATED CLINICAL ROUTES
The mechanism that tears an ACL can also affect the meniscus, cartilage or other ligaments. These routes help separate the associated problem instead of treating every sports-knee injury as “just the ACL.”
ACL INJURY FAQ
General information only. Diagnosis, treatment and return-to-sport recommendations require an individual clinical assessment.
Request an appointmentThe anterior cruciate ligament is one of the main stabilising ligaments inside the knee. It helps control forward movement of the tibia relative to the femur and contributes to rotational stability.
A pop or giving-way sensation may occur at the time of injury, followed by pain, swelling, reduced motion and a feeling that the knee is unstable. Symptoms vary and associated injuries can change the presentation.
No. Treatment is individualised. Rehabilitation may be appropriate for selected stable knees and lower-demand activity, while reconstruction is more often discussed when functional instability persists, pivoting demands are high or associated injuries change the decision.
No. History and physical examination are central to diagnosis. MRI is useful for defining the ACL injury and looking for associated meniscus, cartilage or other ligament injuries when that information will change management.
Some people can walk after an ACL tear once pain and swelling settle, while others feel unstable. The ability to walk does not by itself show whether the ACL is intact or whether the knee is safe for pivoting activity.
Reconstruction may be considered when the knee remains functionally unstable, when sport or work requires pivoting and cutting, or when associated injuries make operative treatment more appropriate. The decision is individual.
Return to sport should consider symptoms, swelling, range of motion, strength, balance, movement control and functional performance rather than relying on time alone.
YOUR INJURY STORY
Bring the mechanism, timing of swelling, episodes of giving way, previous rehabilitation, imaging if available and the sport or activity you want to return to. The consultation connects those pieces before deciding whether the route is rehabilitation, reconstruction or assessment of an associated injury.
YOUR SPECIALIST
Prof. Hanna is a UK board-certified consultant orthopaedic hip and knee surgeon at Healthpoint Hospital, Abu Dhabi. His clinical interests include sports and soft-tissue knee problems, cruciate ligament injuries, arthroscopic surgery, knee cartilage and meniscus problems, partial knee replacement, primary and revision joint replacement, minimally invasive techniques and robotic-assisted hip and knee replacement.