Research Progress in Pathogenesis and Treatment of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Abstract

With the continuous development of the sports in China, sports trauma is also on the rise year by year, of which the former cruciate ligament injury is quite common. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), one of the two main types of intraarticular fibrous ligament, it can provide the rotational and translational stability for the knee. When it injurys, patients' exercise ability and life well-being will decline, and even lead to a series of complications, especially in women. The risk of the ACL injury in the women is almost 3.5 times that in men. There are many factors leading to ACL injury. Studies have shown that after anterior cruciate ligament injury, most patients choose surgical treatment. With the development of the Arthroscopic technique, most of the patients would be likely to choose the surgical treatment, especially the people that are young and active. The surgical treatment have several advantages, like the post-operative recovery is fast, less traumatic, fewer complications. At present, the surgical treatment is mainly reconstruction under arthroscopy. The reconstruction materials include autografts, allografts, artificial ligaments and so on. It is necessary to understand the difference of biochemical and biological characteristics of different grafts in the process of ligament healing. For some elderly patients or patients with other special needs, non-surgical treatment can also be selected. This article reviews the pathogenic factors, surgical methods, grafts, and other aspects for clinical reference.