The ACL is a ligament that connects the femur to the tibia at the center of the knee joint. It helps stabilize the joint when planting the foot and changing directions (pivoting). This is one of the few ligaments in the body that don’t heal when they rupture.
Rookie Running Back for the Cincinnati Bengals, Rodney Anderson, is believed to have re-torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a preseason game against the Colts. He previously tore his ACL playing for the Oklahoma Sooners and has only been off the injured list for three weeks.
Anderson will undergo surgery repeat reconstruction of his ACL and will not play during the 2019-20 season.
On August 17th, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Marcus Kemp injured his knee while making a contested catch during a preseason game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. Following the catch, he came up limping and was kept out of the rest of the game. An MRI the next day confirmed that he tore his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and his MCL (medial collateral ligament).
The MCL is a ligament that connects the femur (thighbone) to the tibia (shin bone). Its main job is to resist outward turning forces on the knee. MCL tears usually heal well naturally. Kemp will have ACL reconstruction with the goal of playing in the 2020 season.
On August 12, Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins, tore his left ACL during an off-season workout in Las Vegas. According to ESPN reporter, Adrian Wojnarowski, Cousins bumped his knee against another player’s during the workout. Cousins will likely have the ACL reconstructed and be out for the year. At age 29 he has already had two potentially career-ending injuries: Achilles tendon injury in 2018 and now the ACL rupture.
Picture courtesy of Mayo Clinic