The anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is a ligament in the knee that prevents the thighbone, or femur, from moving too much over the shinbone, or tibia, during physical activity. A ligament is a fibrous band of tissue that connects two bones together. An ACL tear commonly occurs in athletes who play sports that involve a lot of pivoting and jumping, according to the Mayo Clinic. A patient with a torn ACL may notice a popping sound during the time of injury, followed by pain, swelling and knee instability when walking. Surgery may be necessary to reconstruct the ACL, and there are complications of this procedure a patient should be aware of.
Infection
A surgeon will likely choose arthroscopy to reconstruct the ACL. Arthroscopy is a common surgical procedure in which a surgeon makes three small incisions in the knee. One is used for a camera to view inside the knee, and the other two incisions are used to place tools that are used to reconstruct the knee. Although this procedure involves small incisions with small instruments, there is a risk of a knee infection, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. This occurs because bacteria from the skin, tools or surrounding environment can enter the wound, reproduce and cause an infection. Left untreated, the infection may spread to the body and cause severe complications. A patient should be aware of excessive pain after the surgery, redness in the knee joint, excessive warmth to touch or drainage of pus, or a yellowish to white fluid from the wound. In addition, he should let his doctor know if he experiences fever, chills or night sweats, which may be a sign of a spreading infection.
Blood Clots
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons states that a blood clot may form in the leg after an ACL reconstruction. This occurs because surgery damages blood vessels around the knee, which can cause a blood clot to form. Clots usually form in the lower part of the leg but can occur in the upper leg. A patient should immediately let his doctor know if he experiences increasing pain or swelling anywhere in the leg, especially in the calf. A doctor will likely perform an ultrasound to look for a blood clot in the leg.
Blood Accumulation
Blood may accumulate in the knee, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. This occurs because surgery damages blood vessels in the knee, which may cause them to bleed. Additionally, damage from the surgery may cause excessive fluid to accumulate in the knee. A patient must let his doctor know about excessive swelling in the knee after surgery. He can prevent this complication by following his doctor and physical therapist's recommendations to elevate the leg and perform light exercises to reduce knee swelling.
