What is the ACL ?
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of ligaments in the center of the knee joint that form a cross, and this is where the name “cruciate” comes from. There is both an anterior and a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Both of these ligaments function to stabilize your knee from front-to-back. In medical terms, the ACL is the primary restraint to anterior displacement of the tibia on the femur. Translation in plain English, that when the ACL is injured or torn the shinbone can then slide forward on the thighbone, causing the knee to become unstable and “give way”. ACL surgery begins with an arthroscopic examination of the inside of your knee. Arthroscopic surgery has revolutionized the process of ACL reconstruction (and orthopedic sports medicine in general). This surgical technique uses three very small incisions that are about 1/4 of an inch in length to create viewing access into the knee. A fiber-optic light source lights the inside of the knee and a video camera se
