A Tiny Ligament With a Big Job
A Tiny Ligament With a Big Job
ACLPCLACL injuries occur when leg bones twist in opposite directions under full body weight.
(A.d.a.m.)
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The anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is one of two pieces of tissue that form a cross in the joint under the kneecap. The posterior cruciate ligament, or PCL, which rarely tears, is in the back, and the ACL is in the front of the knee. It stops the tibia from slipping in front of the femur. Considering the big job that the ACL performs, which is to provide rotational stability to the joint, it is tiny: about 30 millimeters long, smaller than a little finger, and less than 10 grams in weight.
Its shape is rectangular, as if you cut a rubber band open and stretched it against a flat surface.
An ACL rupture (also called a tear) happens on the field of play in one of two ways:
· Contact, which is the most frequent cause in football. The injury occurs when, for example, a shoulder pad or a helmet crashes into the knee, buckling it.
· Non-contact, which is the predominant cause in other sports. In these cases, the knee fails as an athlete lands from a jump, after attempting a rebound or a headed ball, for example. A rupture can also happen when a sprinting athlete slows to make a turn.
-- Michael Sokolove
