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• n  a sheet or band of tough fibrous tissue connecting bones or cartilages or supporting muscles or organs
• n  any connection or unifying bond

• That's the type of damage in which the ligament detaches from the femur bone, and in adults, correcting the problem usually requires surgery to reconstruct the ligament.
• But, continues Wulsin, "once lengthened by tension, these fibrous connections (Cooper's suspensory ligaments) do not resume youthful dimensions, and despite hopeful legend, no .
• As New England patriots fans will attest, the scariest letters in sports are ACL--as in an anterior cruciate ligament tear, probably the knee injury that ended quarterback Tom .

News & Articles

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• AP source: MRI shows torn ACL for Saints' Butler
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- An MRI indicates that New Orleans outside linebacker Victor Butler has a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but it is too early to speculate on whether he will miss the whole season, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday.
  June 13, 2013 - The Associated Press via Yahoo! Sports
• After an ACL tear: Research opens door to new treatments to improve recovery for athletes
  Striking the likes of Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose, L.A. Lakers' Kobe Bryant and Detroit Tigers' Victor Martinez, tears in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are one of the most rampant and serious knee injuries among athletes. Now, researchers have identified a new drug target that may prevent one of the most dreaded consequences of an ACL tear -- the weakening or loss of muscle tissue (muscle ...
  June 13, 2013 - Science Daily
• Casilla to miss 2nd straight start after tearing ligament in finger
  Orioles second baseman Alexi Casilla will be absent from the starting lineup for the second straight game because of a finger injury suffered in the ninth inning of Sunday’s win at Tampa Bay. Casilla said X-rays on his right index finger were negative, but he tore a ligament and is still waiting for the swelling to die down. He tried to throw Tuesday and still had difficulty.        
  June 11, 2013 - Baltimore Sun

Quotes

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• David Beckham in Yahoo! Eurosport
  It's just gone from one thing to another thing,said Beckham. "Maybe it's time for me to just say, 'I need the rest,' and get it right and don't come back until it's right. It doesn't feel good. With a ligament strain it is four to six...
• Roy Hodgson in Chicago Tribune
  Clint will be scanned [Monday], but we feel it might be a posterior cruciate knee ligament, which would be very bad for us,Fulham manager Roy Hodgson said.
• Sir Alex Ferguson in Times Online
  On Scholes, Ferguson added: "We do not know exactly how serious at this moment in time. It looks like medial ligament damage, which would be six to eight weeks - a bit of a blow."