Imagine watching someone play the biggest basketball game of the year. He goes up for the jump and comes down to plant his foot and POP. The knee gives way and the player is taken off the pitch. The coach runs some quick tests and decides that his ACL is most likely torn. The anterior cruciate ligament, or commonly known as the ACL, is one of the four ligaments that serve as the main stabilizers of the knee. It sits between the bottom of the femur, or femur, and attaches to the top of the tibia, or shin bone (Ireland). Although the ACL is used for any activity involving the lower body, it is essential for quickly starting, turning, stopping, and rotating. These anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are increasingly becoming an epidemic among athletes, and prevention has become seemingly impossible. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an essential part of the knee and an important part of wanting to be an athlete. It provides approximately 90% of the knee's stability and is also the main obstacle to forward movement of the knee joint (Ireland). It also acts as a stabilizer, meaning it doesn't allow the knee to go too far forward or turn sideways too much or beyond its normal range of motion. The problem with ACLs is that they are not as necessary for those who do not want to continue with sports that require contact or rotation. Tears in the ACL have become more and more of a problem over the past decade simply because sports are becoming more and more competitive, meaning the athlete has put a lot of strain on their body. So, although this injury can be caused by the athlete themselves, this injury can be just as serious as when it is caused by another person through contact. Small tears in the ACL may only require recovery t...... middle of paper......Physical Encyclopedia." United States National Library of Medicine. United States National Library of Medicine, October 31, 2013. Web. November 18, 2013. DeNoon, Daniel J. “Torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament Can Heal Without Surgery.” WebMD Web MD, nd Web. November 15, 2013. DiStefano, LJ (03-01-2009) Influence of Age, of exercise program sex, technique, and movement patterns following an anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention program in youth soccer players (Clinical Report). HealthWise KnowledgeBase." From the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, nd Web. 2013. Ireland, Mary Lloyd. "ACL Injuries." NP, nd Web. 07 November 2013. "Rehabilitation after ACL Surgery." "The ACL Club." Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT). January 21, 2001: Mag.1+. Network. November 11 2013.