Collateral Ligament Essay

Including the ACL there are four ligaments in your knee. The first is the medial collateral ligament(MCL). The MCL runs along the inside of the knee and it prevents the knee from bending in. The second is the lateral collateral ligament(LCL). This ligament runs along the outside of the knee and prevents the knee from bending out. The third is the posterior cruciate ligament(PCL). The PCL is in the middle of the knee and works with the ACL to prevent the tibia(shin bone) from sliding underneath the femur(thighbone). Finally, the last is the ACL. ACL stands for Anterior Cruciate Ligament. The ACL is in the middle of the knee and it stops the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur. Some studies have shown that women are 2 to 10 time more likely to tear their ACL than a man is. While there is no single answer, doctors believe that there are some differences between women and men that contribute to the possibility of a woman tearing her ACL over a man. These factors have to do with the anatomy of the woman’s body …show more content…
This notch is the groove at the bottom of the femur(where it meets the knee). The notch is larger in men than it is in women. Doctors think it’s possible that because the notch is narrower in women, it restricts the movement of the ACL, especially during twisting movements. The other anatomy factor is that women half wider hips than men. The width of their hips can affect the alignment of the knee which is why women are more prone to kness that move inward, also known as knock-knees. The inward movement puts stress on the ACL, especially with the added force of landing a jump or turning.
One factor of the biomechanics is that the way bodies move and react can differ between men and women. For instance, women’s knees tend to be more flexible which leaves women more prone to hyperextend the knee and put strain on surrounding muscles, tendons, and