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The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Acl): Injuries and How to Prevent and Treat Them

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The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Acl): Injuries and How to Prevent and Treat Them
Zeanna Rivera
Pamela Bullard
English 1301-212
10/17/12

Essay Two-The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL): Injuries and how to prevent and treat them The basketball game has been going on for about an hour. Both teams have been trading points, running back and forth on the court fighting to stay ahead. The main point guard on one of the teams sprints down the court while dribbling the ball. She makes it all the way down to the end of the court, goes up for a lay-up and comes down hard on her knee. As she lands on her knee she hears a loud pop and then falls to the ground. Whether the player realizes it or not she has just tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). This tear has become a more common injury throughout the years and throughout many sports as well.
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the two cruciate ligaments of the knee, the other being the Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL). These ligaments are the stabilizers of the knee. The ACL is a strip of fiber tissue, which is located deep inside the knee joint. It runs from the posterior side of the femur (thigh bone) to the anterior side of the tibia (shin bone) deep inside of the knee. The ligament is a broad, thick cord the size of a person 's index finger. It has long collagen strands woven together in a fashion that permits forces of up to 500 pounds to be exerted. The function of the ACL is to prevent the tibia from moving in front of the knee and femur. The ACL also prevents hyperextension (or extreme stretching of the knee backward) and helps to prevent rotation of the tibia. The amount of knee ligament injuries has been on the rise in recent years. Over the last 15 years, ankle sprains have decreased by 86% and tibia fractures by 88%, but knee ligament injuries have increased by 172%. These knee injuries usually occur while the person is either falling in a slow twisting motion, their knee is suddenly hyperextended, or there is a


Cited: Cluett, Jonathan.. M.D About .com. Guide. Web. 10/18/12 (Image) Cross, M.J. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries: treatment and rehabilitation. In: Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science, T.D.Fahey (Editor). Internet Society for Sport Science: http://sportsci.org Web. 10/18/12 Dennis, Ogiela, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon. Acl tears. umm.edu. Web. 10/18/12
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