The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments of the knee. It's major function is to provide support to the entire knee joint. The ACL is the most commonly injured ligament in the knee and most injuries happen when playing sports or doing something active.
The ACL is usually injured when a person is doing an activity that involves a pivoting motion or when landing from jumping. Although athletes are more prone to ACL tears, someone in a MVA, a fall, or just roughing around can also tear the ligament. Symptoms can be pain, swelling, the knee giving out, and popping in the knee. Most ACL tears are either diagnosed by a physical examination and/or a MRI of the knee. MRI's provide excellent detail of the fibrous tissue that make up the ACL.
Treatment of an ACL tear doesn't necessarily mean surgery. It the tear is just a partial tear it can be repair by basically sewing it back together. If the tear is full, then surgery will mostly likely be in order. Grafting tissue from one's own body or using tissue from an organ donor would be used to "make" a new ACL.
