[Ligament ruptures]

Ligamentous injuries of the knee are becoming commoner and commoner. They can involve the anterior cruciate ligament, the posterior cruciate ligament, or both ligaments together. The anterior cruciate ligament is the sportsman's injury. The diagnosis is a clinical one, with other diagnostic techniques only being used in the doubtful case. The treatment is well established, with surgery in the young and sportive patient, and a trial of non-operative treatment in the less active patient. The results of treatment are good. The posterior cruciate ligament is injured less commonly, and the diagnosis is sometimes missed. The injury is usually tolerated well, and the results of surgery are less reliable. For these reasons surgery is only performed in carefully selected patients.