Article: If you do have a partial ACL tear, your doctor will most likely give you a brace or cast to wear while your ACL recovers. Luckily, most partial ACL tears do not require surgery. You will, however, have to protect your knee from further injury. The best way to do this is to wear a brace or cast that will keep your knee stabilized while it heals. Your doctor might give you crutches to use along with your brace. Crutches are used to keep you from putting pressure or too much weight on your knee while it heals. While your knee is healing, it will need to rest as much as possible. Try to keep weight off of it at all times. You should sit with your knee elevated so that it can begin to repair itself. When you sit down, prop your knee up so that it is raised above your hip. If you are lying down, prop your knee and leg up so that it is above your heart and chest. To control the swelling and pain caused by your partially torn ACL, you will need to ice your knee every day. Write a bag of ice or an ice pack in a towel to keep the ice from directly touching your skin, as this could cause a burn. Keep the ice on your knee for 15 to 20 minutes for the best results. Any amount of time shorter than 15 minutes will not do much to control swelling or pain. Keeping the ice on your knee for longer than 20 minutes may result in the ice burning your skin. If your ACL is fully torn, or if your tear falls between a partial and full tear, you may need surgery for the knee to be fully repaired. If this is the case, you will have to have a graft done to replace the torn ligament. The most common graft used is the tendon of the kneecap or hamstring. However, acquiring tendons from donor knee is also an option. Talk to your doctor about the best option for your specific case. Talk to your doctor about going to physical therapy. After you have let your knee heal, you will have to begin rehabilitating your knee so that the injury does not occur again. Go to a physical therapist who can help you with increasing your range of motion, strength training, and stability exercises.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Protect your knee with a brace or cast. Rest your knee as much as possible. Ice your knee. Consider surgery as a last resort. Go to physical therapy to strengthen your knee.