By Tom Keppeler, Knee1 Staff
National Hockey League forward Tyson Nash was sidelined this week with an injury to his Anterior Cruciate Ligament, the central stabilizing structure of the knee. Nash, who plays for the St. Louis Blues, will miss four to six weeks, his coaches said Monday.
Nash was checked by the Dallas Stars' Joe Nieuwendyk and fell to the ground. An MRI test later revealed that his Anterior Cruciate Ligament was sprained. The player has eight goals and seven assists in 55 games, according to the Associated Press.
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament, or ACL, attaches the femur, or thighbone, to the tibia, or shinbone. Three other ligaments, the Posterior (back) Cruciate, Medial (inside) Collateral, and Medial (inside) Collateral ligaments help to stabilize the knee, but the ACL maintains most of the front-to-back stability of the knee.
A sprain to the ligament may mean a minor tear, in which case the ACL can be rehabilitated back to health. A tear, however, practically eliminates the athletic stability of the joint, and most often requires surgical repair. To read more about the ACL, click here.
Photo courtesy of NHL.com.
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