Fundamentals on Injuries of Knee Ligaments in Footballers

Abstract

The ligament injuries around the knee, represent some of the most frequent lesions in football. Moreover, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is known to be amongst the most frequent prolonged absence from competition in this subgroup of patients. In the last decade we have been experiencing an important change on the treatment of these tears, focused on the technical development of surgical treatment. Nevertheless, return to play on some level is far from being completely guaranteed after ACL reconstruction and a number of factors might play a role on this major goal of treatment. Herein it will be discussed the current concepts of dealing with ACL ruptures in footballers. The second most relevant injury around the knee in this populations is medial collateral ligament sprain. In this case, most patients are dealt successfully with conservative treatment and only specific cases might require surgery. Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and posterolateral corner (PLC) injuries are less frequent then the former in footballers. However, they have the potential to cause important influence on athlete’s performance. Isolated PCL injuries, particularly up to grade 2 are suitable for conservative treatment and return to play. A brief comment on the “state of the art” on PLC lesions is also included.