Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

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Running head: FINAL PAPER Final Paper: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Alexis C. Howard SPHE419 American Public University January 27, 2013 Thesis Statement Approximately 80,000 cruciate ligament injuries occur in the United States every year. The majority of the injuries accounted for involve the Anterior Cruciate Ligament also referred to as ACL. This knee injury is mostly common among athletes who participate in sports requiring sprinting, jumping, and swift sudden changes in direction. Studies suggest that women are more prone to ACL tears. This writer will present research on the common mechanisms of injury, the sports they are most common in, the recovery and rehabilitation involved, as well the incidence rates of injury. Anterior Cruciate Ligament Anatomy The femur and the tibia are bones that make up the knee and at the attachment they form a hinge joint. This joint is protected in the front by the patella and cushioned by articular cartilage which shields the base of the patella and the ends of the femur and tibia. Cartilage that further promotes the protection of the knee is the lateral and the medial meniscus. These act as a type of shock absorber between the bones. Connecting the tibia and femur at the center of the knee is the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The ACL is a resilient band of tissue that inhibits the tibia from excessively extending past the femur. (Flegel, 2008) The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), along with the Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL), the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL), and the Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL), all are responsible for stabilizing and controlling the motion of the knee. The ACL is responsible for approximately 90% of the knee’s solidity. (Johnson, 2004) Common Mechanisms of Injury The ACL is the most lax when the knee is in 20 degrees of flexion and tightens as the knee is flexed further.

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