My client consulted with me about her 15-year-old daughter possibly having torn her ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament). My client stated today, her daughter, a gymnast, over rotated doing a hand spring on the vault. When she landed, she collapsed in pain. Her coach had to carry her off the mat. My client went on telling me they suspected her daughter has an ACL tear, since they heard a popping noise when she landed on the mat. Tomorrow they are seeing a doctor and having an MRI. She said she wanted to consult with me to get the daughter on homeopathic remedies. The daughter’s coach wrapped a compression bandage around the knee and told them to elevate the leg and continue applying ice on the knee to help keep the pain and swelling down, which they have been doing since they came home. I explained to my client homeopathic remedies can help with the healing whether her daughter has a bad sprained knee or has torn her ACL. Depending on the severity of the tear, the homeopathic remedy Calendula can help heal ACL tears, by promoting granulation of the tissue, and mending the ligament tissues together for small tears. If the tear is significant, she will need ACL surgery. If that is the case, homeopathic remedies can also help with the healing after surgery. For now, let’s start with a couple of homeopathic remedies for the pain your daughter is experiencing now.

My client stated that her daughter has pain when she moves her leg (knee) and especially when she puts weight on the knee. When she initially landed on the mat, she felt a shooting pain and then her knee gave out causing her to fall down on the mat. I selected the two homeopathic remedies Arnica Montana 1m and Bryonia Alba 1m to be taken every hour in a Remedy Solution Bottle (RSB) with ten succussions (taps) until her pain level starts to decrease and then she will back off from taking Arnica and Bryonia every hour. I instructed her to repeat Arnica and Bryonia with ten succussions when the pain is worse from movement intensifies, which will require a dose every two to three hours. Her daughter will take the homeopathic remedy Apis Mellifica 200c with ten succussions three times a day for the swelling of the knee. I explained that some swelling injuries result in fluid buildup between the seven tissue layers leading to increased pain and complications with bending the knee. I told my client if by any chance her daughter has the shooting pain, she will take the homeopathic remedy Hypericum 30c when the shooting pain occurs.

My client called me the next day stating her daughter has a slight ACL tear. The doctor told them she is going to need surgery because ACL tears don’t heal up on their own because there is a lack of blood supply to the ligament. My client told me she discussed it with her daughter and decided to take the homeopathic remedy Calendula 30c to help heal the ACL tear. I explained we will start with Calendula when the knee pain has decreased with Arnica and Bryonia. I explained, if Calendula doesn’t start to heal the tear within a reasonable amount of time, her daughter will have to have arthroscopy surgery to repair the ACL. My client’s daughter continued taking Arnica and Bryonia several times a day when the knee pain started to intensify. After a few days of taking Arnica and Bryonia the knee pain had decreased a significant amount and has started Calendula 30c with ten succussions to be taken once a day to start the healing of the ACL tear. I explained to my client that her daughter will be on Calendula for several weeks to help mend the ACL. As long as the pain level is very low, which usually means the ACL is healing, we will continue with this protocol. If not, then her daughter will need to have arthroscopic knee surgery. I also told them, when the pain that is worse from movement is gone, we will stop the Arnica and Bryonia and she will only be taking Calendula daily.

A couple of weeks later, my client called to tell me they stopped the Arnica and Bryonia, since her daughter no longer had any pain when she moved the knee. She stated that her daughter gets a twinge of pain when she moves her knee a certain way. My client also shared that the doctor has been monitoring the knee and is amazed how well her daughter is doing. I explained to my client having the twinge of pain when she moves her knee a certain way is a sign that she has a tear. The fact that she no longer has pain with movement, means Calendula will heal up the tear. Until the ACL is fully healed, I instructed my client’s daughter to keep taking Calendula every day. I anticipate that it will take several more months for the tear to fully heal.

What is an ACL Tear?

The ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is one of the most important of four strong ligaments connecting your shin and thigh bones (fibula, tibia and femur) of the knee joint. Ligaments are strong dense structures, made of connective tissue that stabilizes the knee joint and prevents your knee from bending or rotating too much. The ACL injury occurs from overstretching this ligament which with certain movements of the knee put a great strain on the knee. ACL is the most common type of knee injury, and it usually occurs from playing sports as an injured or torn ligament that involves suddenly stopping, twisting or changing directions or force a “blow” to the front of the knee. You can tear your ACL from playing soccer, football, basketball, gymnastics, lacrosse, along with falls and car accidents.

What are ACL Tear Symptoms?

ACL tears can be very painful; however, some people only feel small discomfort:

• You feel or hear a pop in the knee
• Your knee might give out (feel unstable and weak)
• Swelling
• Pain (especially when you try to put weight on your knee)
• Weakness or feeling like your knee has given out
• You lose your range of motion as to how far you can move your knee

3 Types of ACL injuries

ACL injuries and tears are usually given a grade to describe the extent of your injury:

• Grade one: Your injury stretched your ACL enough to damage it, but it’s still in one piece and holding your knee bones together.
• Grade two: You stretched your ACL so much that it was partially torn and loosened.
• Grade three: You have a complete tear, and your ACL is in two pieces. You will need surgery.

Healing ACL Tears with Homeopathy

A torn ACL cannot always be repaired on its own, because it doesn’t have its own blood supply and may need to be healed with arthroscopic surgery. Surgery is based on your age, level of activity, how unstable your knee is, and whether other structures in your knee have been injured. In stating that, you may be able to live with a torn ACL if you have a very small tear and experience minimal amount of pain with certain movements. This is where homeopathic remedies can help you with your pain and heal a partially torn ACL. A homeopathic remedy works by addressing what needs to be healed and in doing so, your pain improves and in some cases the ACL is regenerated. As it is common for ACL tears to need surgery; I have advised a few clients that the homeopathic remedy Calendula can heal their ACL tears. There are several homeopathic remedies that can be taken for pain you are experiencing from a torn ACL whether you have chosen not to have surgery, or to help with the recovery time process after an ACL surgery. There is no need to suffer with the pain or take medication.

Homeopathic remedies for a torn ACL is not just for people, you can also treat your dog or cat who has a slight ACL tear (called CCL – Cranial Cruciate Ligament) with the same homeopathic remedies.
It can be difficult and time-consuming to navigate the world of homeopathic remedies, but consulting a knowledgeable Homeopath can greatly expedite your search. They can provide tailored advice and recommendations based on their extensive knowledge and expertise, assisting you in determining the best solutions for your particular requirements.