1

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Kinesiology: Sports Medicine

Lindsey A Mendoza

California State University—Fullerton

2
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

The knee consists of four bones which is the femur, tibia, fibula, and patella. Although

there are many muscles, bones, ligaments, and nerves that are located within the knee. Ligaments

are the essential ground for keeping bones attached to the muscle, therefore they are not usually

supposed to stretch. Ligaments usually create stability for muscles to stretch and contract.

There are essentially four injuries that can occur within the knee that can be distinguished

by collateral ligaments and cruciate ligaments. There are two collateral ligaments which are

found on the sides of the leg. One collateral ligament is the “medial collateral ligament” (mcl)

which is found on the inner side of the legs. Another collateral ligament is the “lateral collateral

ligament” (LCL) which is found on the outer side of the legs. There are also two cruciate

ligaments that are found within the knee, behind the patella (knee cap). Cruciate is a term that

Figure 1 Ligaments of the Knee originated from Latin which means cross-shaped. As

shown in Figure 1, these ligaments cross at the knee behind

the patella. They connect the femur to the tibia to create the

bending abilities of the knee. One cruciate ligament is the

posterior cruciate ligament with is the one located closer to

the back of the leg. Another cruciate ligament is the

anterior cruciate ligament which is located closer to the

front of the knee. Cruciate ligaments are responsible for not

only the back and forth motions of the knee, but also are needed for rotational stability (Floyd,

2017).
3
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
The most common injury within sports is the Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury. There

are three degrees as to how they dictate the seriousness of this injury. There is Grade 1, Grade 2,

and Grade 3. Grade 1 indicates a slight stretching of the ACL ligament, however it’s still able to

hold the knee joint at a stable point. Grade 2 is when the ligament stretches exceedingly that it

becomes loose, making the knee joint very unstable. Grade 3 is a complete tear of the ACL into

two pieces. ACL injuries are more likely to be complete tears; slight tears are rare. The initial job

of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament with the help of the Posterior cruciate ligament is to keep the

knee joint from going forward. (Orthoinfo.com)

There are many actions that may cause the tearing or stretching of the anterior cruciate

ligament. Sometimes ACL injuries are inevitable due to the high pacing and enduring sports like

basketball, football, baseball, etc. ACL tears usually occur due to cutting, slowing down, landing

from a jump, or by getting hit directly at the front of the knee (OrthoInfo.com). Even small

things like landing awkwardly off a bed can result in an ACL injury. Figure 2 illustrates the many
Figure 2 Movement that may cause an ACL injury
improper movements that may contribute to an ACL

injury. Many things point to the human’s inability to

endure excessive stress at the knees because of small

everyday movements that humans adapt over the course

of their lifetime/centuries. Over time humans have lost

the muscle support needed to support the knee during

physical activities like cutting and jumping. Since the

muscles are not equipped to support this strain from

physical activity, the ligaments of the knee must work ten times harder than usual. This is what
4
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
causes the ligaments to endure more motion like stretching and pulling than they are originally

equipped for.

However, despite the already human’s lack of muscle support in the knees, women are

still more prone to ACL injuries than men. Women sometimes can be up to four to eight times

more likely to endure ACL injuries than men (Slate.com). This is because women have a greater

Q-angle compared to men. The Q-angle is determined by a line connecting the anterior superior

iliac spine to the center of the patella and a second line from the center of the patella to the tibial

tubercle. This angle determines the lateral strain put upon the patella due to this construction.

The lateral strain is determined by the degree at which the legs are angled at. Humans are already

born with a Valgus position in the legs which creates increase lateral pull for movement of the

knee. A valgus position is a “knocked-knee” position where the knees are closer to the medial

aspect of the body. This is what makes human vulnerable to injuries like ACL tears due to the

slight valgus position of the legs. Since women have wider hips, this gives women a greater

valgus positioning in the legs than men, making them more susceptible to ACL injuries.

Since we know the causes for ACL injuries, it’ll be easier to look for answers to prevent

them. It creates a better future for professional athletes as well as everyday people to continue

living their lives normally after an injury. This knowledge of ACL injuries can have professionals

better equipped to deal with ACL injuries. It aids in creating better exercises to not only heal but

have a long-lasting impression on their knee strength. Since it’s one of the most common

injuries, it’s the most feared. This affects an athlete’s overall psych when it comes to

performance. It’s what discourages many athletes from reaching their full potential. Most people

are afraid that life changing injuries will occur and make them unlikely to pursue further in their
5
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
life. Hopefully by creating better ways to prevent and fix this issue of ACL injuries, it’ll inspire

more people to continue living their lives to their fullest potential.

 6
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
References

Floyd, R. T. (2017). Manual of Structural Kinesiology. McGraw-Hill Education.

Gabler, N. (2013, December 10). The Nastiest Injury in Sports. Retrieved from

http://grantland.com/features/derrick-rose-rob-gronkowski-rise-acl-tears/

Labella, C. R., Hennrikus, W., & Hewett, T. E. (2014). Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries:

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention. Pediatrics,133(5). doi:10.1542/peds.2014-0623

Our knowledge of orthopaedics. Your best health. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/anterior-cruciate-ligament-acl-injuries/

Palmer, B. (2012, May 04). Why Are Athletes Always Tearing Their ACLs? Retrieved from

https://slate.com/culture/2012/05/mariano-rivera-injury-why-do-so-many-athletes-tear-their-

acls.html