Tiger Woods, who turns 33 on December 30, has had a tough year, one in which he won the US Open despite suffering from a torn ACL. He wisely decided to bow out of the rest of the golf season to have his knee repaired and allow it the necessary time to heal. What is an ACL injury? ACL stands for “anterior cruciate ligament”. The ACL is a ligament in the center of your knee that prevents your tibia (shin bone) from riding forward on your femur (thigh bone). When you injure this ligament, your knee “gives way”, or is unstable, during activity. Over time, if the ligament is not repaired, the cartilage may be damaged and the person may suffer from arthritis.

The surgery is usually performed by knee arthroscopy, or through a small incision(s) in the knee through which a camera and instruments are passed. The ligament is usually replaced by either a piece of tendon from the patient’s own body or a donor tendon. The surgery can be done under a local or a general anaesthetic.

Although this type of surgery used to mean the end of a sports career, that is not necessarily the case these days. Physiotherapy is usually done for 2 to 6 months, and people generally return to full activity within 4 to 6 months. Complications of surgery may include pain, stiffness, and weakness of the knee.

Fans of golf and Tiger Woods will be eagerly anticipating his golfing return in 2009.

Related Links:

Ÿ Video: Understanding Knee Pain from illumistream

Ÿ Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Surgery from Web MD

Ÿ Reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) from Southern California Orthopedic Institute