Tears in the ligaments of our knees usually occur during an injury from a sport such as football or basketball. They can be painful and if not treated properly can cause lifelong problems.

Mariner High School football player Josh Hart learned the hard way how painful the most common injury in sports can be. "My knee swelled up real bad, I couldn't move it or bend it; putting pressure on it wasn't easy to do."

Orthopedic Surgeon John Kagan says that the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is the main supporting ligament inside our knees. It prevents the knee from buckling during twisting, cutting, or jumping type activities. "What happens is that the ligament gets overloaded and essentially pulls apart It's a sudden event and when it happens the person it happens to often times feels something pop, after that within a few hours the knee swells up and in most cases that's the end of participation."

You do have options when it comes to treating your ACL injury. You and your physician will decide what's best for you in relation to your lifestyle. Josh says, "He had me take two days off and on the following Monday I was in rehab. I was in rehab for 8 or 9 weeks and the I was able to start walking and moving again, and then it was another 10 or 11 weeks after I was able to start running again."

A few years ago an injury like Josh's could have meant the end of his football career. Thanks to the advancements in orthopedic surgery Josh will soon be back in the game.

It's estimated that each year in the United States between a hundred and 200-thousand people sustain a ruptured or torn ACL.