Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
Disease Information
Tests
How are anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in children diagnosed?
In most cases, ACL injuries can be diagnosed through a physical examination.
The doctor (or sometimes a trainer at the scene of the injury) will examine the knee, and in most cases will use a series of flexion/extension maneuvers with the knee to identify which ligaments are injured.
To accurately diagnose an ACL injury, the following diagnostic tests may be used:
- X-ray: an x-ray may be performed to check for any fractures in the bones of the knee. However, since x-rays only produce images of the bone, they can’t detect soft tissues such as ligaments and tendons.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI):MRIs are able to show the severity of the injury and detect tears in other ligaments and muscles.
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Children's Mininder Kocher, MD, MPH on ABC World News!
ABC World News with Diane Sawyer reports on ACL tears in young children and how the serious injury is becoming increasingly common at a younger age. Children’s Mininder Kocher, MD, MPH, explains the injury and 8-year-old Children’s patient, Caleb Seymour, and his parents talk about his experience tearing his ACL playing football. Read More!
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