Anterior Cruciate Ligament Essay

Male and Female Anterior Cruciate Ligament Correlation The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is a commonly injured ligament located in the knee. Lately, there has been a lot of research pertaining to which gender is more susceptible to injuring this ligament, as well as which gender is ACL injuries most prominent. Through various studies and abundant amounts of research, women have been found to be more prone to ACL injuries for three main reasons. These include anatomy of the female body, biomechanics, and hormones produced by the female endocrine system. Before discussing an injury to a ligament in the knee, it is helpful to know the anatomy of the knee. The knee joint is made up of four bones. These include the femur (with a lateral and medial femoral condyle at the distal end), the patella, the tibia, and the fibula. There are also four ligaments in the knee. These include the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), and the medial collateral ligament (MCL). These ligaments prevent anterior translation of the tibia, prevent posterior translation of the tibia, prevent varus stress of the knee, and prevent valgus stress of the knee, respectively. Between the femur and tibia, there are cartilage discs called

It has been proven that women generally have wider-set hips than men do. This can cause the knees to turn slightly more inward in women. When running, or jumping, a misalignment of the knees puts excess stress on the ACL, making it more susceptible to an injury. Also, there is a notch located at the distal end of the femur, between the two femoral condyles. This notch in women tends to be slightly smaller and narrower than men, which may decrease or limit the movement of the ACL during the performance of a twisting motion. Restriction of movement can cause the ACL to be torn much