An approach to the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament

Isolated anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries account for up to half of all ligamentous injuries to the knee and have been reported to occur in an estimated 1 in 3000 people in the general population. However, as 95% of ACL injuries occur in individuals between the ages of 16 and 45, the recalculated incidence in this age group is 1 in 1750 people. For these otherwise healthy young individuals this injury can have devastating consequences, both in the short term by limiting safe activity levels, and in the long term because the resultant instability predisposes the joint to meniscal and chondral damage, and early osteoarthritis.