Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Anterior Cruciate Ligament knee is one of the major joints of the human body. It is called a hinge joint. The knee consists of three main bones:

• The femur –the bone on the upper part of the leg
• The tibia or the bone on the lower part of the leg
• The patella or the knee cap

The knee has a smooth outer layer called the cartilage which allows the knee bones to move smoothly over each other. In arthritis, this gets damaged. Ligaments are strong, dense structures made of connective tissue that stabilize a joint. They connect two bones across the joint. The knee has four important ligaments which are cross shaped. Ligaments are tissues which bind the knee together. These ligaments bind the joints in the knee. The anterior cruciate ligament is one of these four significant ligaments of the knee.The name anterior cruciate ligament comes from the Latin word “crux” which means “cross”. So cruciate means cross shaped. As the ligament is cross shaped, it is called a cruciate ligament.

Thus the anterior cruciate ligament is a ligament that passes over below the thigh bone or femur and over the tibia which is the other bone in the knee. Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament are normally caused when the individual takes part in sports .At times, the injury could be very serious and takes a long time to recover.http://www.biblehealth.com/acl-injuries/anterior-cruciate-ligament-its-functions.html