Surgeons in Belgium hope to revolutionise treatment of sporting injuries after discovering a missing ligament in the human knee.
The existence of the ligament, at the rear of the knee, explains problems in treating injuries that afflict many athletes, they say.
Anterior cruciate ligament tears affect athletes that place heavy strain on the knees, such as footballers, skiers and basketball players.
The existence of the ligament was first suggested in 1879 by a French surgeon – but it was never found.
The surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven say the ligament is found in 97% of human knees and is responsible for pivot shift injuries, which can affect people who have suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
The new ligament has been named the anterolateral ligament and revealed in the Journal of Anatomy by surgeons Steven Claes and Professor Johan Bellemans.
A spokesman for the hospital said: "The research questions current medical thinking about serious anterior cruciate ligament injuries and could signal a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with serious anterior cruciate ligament injuries.
"Dr Claes and Professor Bellemans are currently working on a surgical technique to correct anterolateral ligament injuries."
Anatomy of the anterolateral ligament of the knee. Journal of Anatomy October 2013; Volume 223, Issue 4, Pages: 321–328 [abstract]
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