KNEE
Anterior cruciate ligament rupture:
The anterior cruciate ligament is one of 4 important stabilizing ligaments in the knee joint and prevents the lower leg from shifting forward against the thigh.
Causes:
Most of the events that result in cruciate ligament injuries are sporting accidents: sports with fast directional changes have the highest rates of crossborder injuries such as soccer and handball.
Symptome:
The knee becomes unstable by a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament. A cruciate ligament rupture can cause a wobble sensation in the knee and even a recurrent kink of the leg. In the subsequent episode of the cruciate ligament tear, meniscus or cartilage damage often occurs. From this a severe knee joint wear, an arthritis, develops over the course of several years.
Therapy:
The operation is minimally invasive by arthroscopy. In this case, only two or three access points, which are only a few millimeters in size, are necessary for a mini camera and for the finest surgical instruments. As a transplant, either two tendons can be used on the inner side of the thigh (semitendinosus tendon, Gracilis tendon), or a part of the knee rupture tendon (patellar tendon or quadriceps tendon). The fixation takes place using screw-like implants, so-called interference screws, which consist of bio-resorbable material.