Media sources report Kevin Faulk of the New England Patriots may have suffered a torn ACL. That is, a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The knee’s four main ligaments tether the tibia (shin bone) to the femur (thigh bone). These ligaments meet at the knee. The ACL is vital for stabilization and limit hyper-rotation of the knee joint.
For those of us on the sidelines who wonder what a torn versus normal ACL looks like here are two MRI images to ponder:
