Cruciate ligament tear

In most cases, surgery and months of physiotherapy are required after a cruciate ligament tear. Innovative orthotics such as the Genu Arexa can help to gradually mobilise the knee again, to the extent prescribed by the doctor.

Football players are affected by cruciate ligament tears especially often

Cruciate ligament tears occur in Germany every six and a half minutes; football players and skiers are affected especially often. The reason: The knee joint has a complex structure and is therefore very easily injured. As the most strained joint in the body, it bears nearly our entire weight. Stability and mobility are provided by an inner and outer ligament as well as a front and rear cruciate ligament. Two cartilaginous disks, the menisci, function as shock absorbers. Sports usually cause tears in the frontal cruciate ligament when the knee is overstretched or twisted too far with a fixed lower leg. (The injury mechanism is flexion, valgus (X-legged position] and outer rotation!)

Cruciate ligament is usually treated with surgery

Today, cruciate ligament tears are usually corrected with cruciate ligament replacement surgery. This means that doctors replace the damaged cruciate ligament with a piece of the body’s own tendon, for instance from the patellar tendon or the semitendinosus tendon of the thigh. Alternatively, the thigh musculature can be trained to provide sufficient stability for everyday movements. Herein, however, it must be considered that when the cruciate ligament is torn, cartilage damage (arthrosis) can occur at an early time. In the case of hobby and high performance athletes, it is also possible that further accidents cause additional injuries to the cartilage and meniscus. 

Note:
Please note that the contents of our glossary only represent general information on health topics and that they do not replace consultation with a physician. For individual questions, therefore please consult your physician.