Prevention

The best way to prevent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries is to stretch and strengthen the leg muscles, especially the front and back muscles of the thigh (quadriceps and hamstrings).

You may help prevent ACL injuries if you:

• Avoid wearing shoes with cleats in contact sports.
• Avoid wearing high-heeled shoes.
• Avoid sports that involve lots of twisting and contact.

If you have already had an ACL injury, you can avoid another one by:

• Strengthening the injured knee through rehabilitation (rehab) exercises.
• Changing your sports techniques to avoid motions that might stress the injured knee.
• Changing your lifestyle to avoid sports that have a high risk of injuring your knee further, such as skiing, football, soccer, or basketball.
• Wearing a knee brace during high-risk activities. But braces should be used only if rehab is also being done. Wearing a brace alone may be of little benefit and may give you a false sense of security.

Programs to prevent ACL injuries are available. These programs generally emphasize injury awareness, avoidance techniques, and stretching, strengthening, and jumping exercises to help reduce ACL injuries.

Tips to prevent ACL injuries include practicing landing with the knees bent after jumps and crouching when pivoting and turning.

Home Treatment

If you have an acute (sudden) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, use the following first aid steps to reduce pain and swelling:

• Rest and reduce your activity level. If it hurts to put weight on your knee, use crutches until you can see your doctor. Crutches can be rented from most drugstores. Crutches should not be used for long, because a lack of activity can cause muscle tissue to waste away and cause restricted movement of the knee.
• Ice your knee. To avoid a freeze-burn, don't put the ice directly on your skin. Put a cloth or towel between the ice and your knee.
• Elevate your knee while applying ice or anytime you are sitting or lying down.
• Wrap your knee with an elastic bandage or neoprene sleeve (available at a drugstore). This may help ease pain during movement and reduce fluid inside the knee. Don't wrap your knee too tightly, as this may cause swelling below the bandage. Loosen the bandage if it is too tight. Signs of an overly tight bandage include numbness, tingling, increased pain, and coolness in the foot.
• Take medicine such as acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce your pain.

After diagnosis of an ACL injury, your doctor may suggest exercises that help strengthen your leg and increase your range of motion. They may be the start of your nonsurgical treatment program or be used to help prepare your knee for surgery. For more information, see the topic:

ACL Injury: Exercises to Do Before Treatment.