Knee Ligaments

 Ligaments seem to confuse the heck out of everybody although understanding them can actually be quite easy. 

What is a Ligament?

A ligament is a tight band of tissue that connects a bone to a bone, and crosses a joint.  It doesn’t stretch, contract or move.  Just by virtue of where it is located, it provides stability against a particular motion to that joint.  

The Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL)

 There are 4 ligaments about the knee we talk about.  The most commonly injured in skiing is the MCL, on the inner side.  This is a good ligament to hurt because it will typically heal on its own with proper bracing and rehabilitation.  The duration it takes the MCL to heal is dependent upon how severe the tear is, and if it is partial or complete.  

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)

The one we hear so much about in sports is the “ACL”, or Anterior (front) Cruciate (crossing) Ligament.  We test this by pulling the leg forward of the thigh, but the ACL’s function is mostly in preventing twisting injuries to the knee. 

Why is The ACL So Darn Important?

Without the ACL we place a lot of shear strain on the meniscus, which acts as our “cushion cartilage”.  When this gets worn down too much we are left with the articular cartilage only. 

The ACL, therefore, is only in our knee to protect the meniscus; the meniscus is only there to protect the artciular cartilage.  Once the articular cartilage is gone, we have “arthritis” which is just the phenomenon of bone rubbing on bone. And that’s bad news!

If you think you have an ACL, see a specialist as soon as possible. We don’t want you to risk further damage to the cushion cartilage, which can lead to arthritis once it is worn down.