What and where are cruciate ligaments?
There are two bands of fibrous tissue called the cruciate ligaments in each knee joint. They join the femur and tibia (bones above and below the knee) together so that the knee works as a hinged joint. They are called cruciate ligaments because they “cross over” inside the knee joint. One ligament connects from inside to outside the knee joint and the other outside to inside, crossing each other in the middle. Humans have the same anatomical structure of the knee. Cruciate ligament rupture is a common knee injury of athletes. How does the injury occur? The knee joint is a hinged joint and only moves in one plane, backwards and forwards. Traumatic cruciate damage is caused by a twisting injury to the joint. This is most often seen in dogs and athletes when running and suddenly changing direction so that the majority of the weight is taken on this single joint. This injury usually affects the anterior (front) ligament. The joint is then unstable and causes extreme pain, often resulting i
