Anterior cruciate ligament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Anterior cruciate ligament | |
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| Diagram of the right knee. (Anterior cruciate ligament labeled at center left.) | |
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| Right knee-joint, from the front, showing interior ligaments. (Ant. cruciate labeled at center.) | |
| Latin | ligamentum cruciatum anterius |
| Gray's | subject #93 342 |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | l_09/12492099 |
The anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL) is one of the four major ligaments of the knee.
It connects from a posterio-lateral (back & outside) part of the femur to an anterio-medial (front & inside) part of the tibia. These attachments allow it to resist forces pushing the tibia forward relative to the femur.
More specifically, it is attached to the depression in front of the intercondyloid eminence of the tibia, being blended with the anterior extremity of the lateral meniscus.
It passes up, backward, and laterally, and is fixed into the medial and back part of the lateral condyle of the femur.
Tearing of the ACL is a common injury among athletes.
[edit] See also
- Knee
- Lateral collateral ligament
- Medial collateral ligament
- Posterior cruciate ligament
- Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
- Anterior cruciate ligament injury
[edit] External links
- SUNY Labs 17:02-0701 - "Major Joints of the Lower Extremity: Knee Joint"
- SUNY Figs 17:07-08 - "Superior view of the tibia."
- SUNY Figs 17:08-03 - "Medial and lateral views of the knee joint and cruciate ligaments."
- Dictionary at eMedicine Anterior+cruciate+ligament
