All it takes is a split-second twist on the field or a sudden stop on the court for you to feel and hear that unmistakable “pop.” For over 250,000 Americans each year, that sound signals a torn ACL, the anterior cruciate ligament that anchors your thigh bone to your shin bone and allows for pivoting and twisting.

ACL injury can occur through a dramatic collision, a slip or a fall, but it most often happens in sports requiring sudden stops, twisting, changes in direction and jumping. The foot stays planted, but the knee turns the other way. Athletes playing soccer, football, basketball and hockey tend to be at the highest risk.

Young athletes between 15 and 24 are most frequently affected with females up to six times more prone to injury than men. Anatomical differences, such as women ten

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