The human knee is far more complex than previously thought. Two knee surgeons in Belgium have found a new body part - which was a previously unknown ligament in the knee.
As Science Daily reports, two surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven have located a new ligament in the human knee, and their findings may mean a revolution in how we treat ACL injuries. ACL tears are common among athletes in sports such as football, basketball and skiing. The ACL is one of the four major ligaments in the knee and is critical to providing stability in the joint. A tear tends to cause swelling and pain in the knee as well as instability.
For the last four years, orthopedic surgeons Dr. Steven Claes and Dr. Johan Bellemans have been conducting research into serious ACL injuries in an effort to find out why. Their starting point: an 1879 article by a French surgeon that postulated the existence of an additional ligament located on the anterior of the human knee.
This discovery could mean a breakthrough in treating ACL injuries, which are common in sports like basketball, football, and soccer, where pivoting is common - but don't hold your breath for a better fix. Claes and Bellemans are hard at work figuring out surgical to techniques to repair the ALL, but Science Daily cautions that those results will only be ready in "several years."
The discovery, which was detailed in the Journal of Anatomy, could signal a breakthrough for the future of treatment for ACL injuries.
