Future direction of the treatment of ACL ruptures

PP Weitzel, JC Richmond, GH Altman… - Orthopedic …, 2002 - orthopedic.theclinics.com
In the 1980s, the orthopedic sports medicine community became focused on injury to the
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) as a major cause of athletic disability. Injury to the ACL and
the high frequency of subsequent knee instability, which can result in further damage to the
joint, was more commonly diagnosed. This motivated improvements in ACL reconstructive
techniques. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, open autograft ACL reconstructions were
thought to require protracted periods of immobilization post surgery in order to facilitate …