For years, it was believed that a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)—the band of dense connective tissue inside the knee that runs from the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone)—had limited healing capacity.
The dreaded rupture of the ACL, common for athletes, would usually result in a type of surgery called a reconstruction, by replacing the ruptured ligament with a substitute graft tendon from either the hamstring, patella, or quadriceps.
