Ligament Injury and Repair: Current Concepts

Ligament injuries have multiple causes. The most usual injury mechanism in sports is abrupt tensile loading that exceeds the strength limit of the ligaments. Injuries should be accurately diagnosed and properly managed in the acute phase to facilitate favourable healing. Different ligaments have unique healing potentials, and for those that have poor natural healing potential, surgical repair or reconstruction may be indicated. Previous studies have revealed that the biomechanical performance of ligament grafts is inferior to normal tissue even with long-term follow-up. Prolonged immobilization of joints has a detrimental effect on the physical properties of ligaments and it takes a long time to recondition ligaments after immobilization. Appropriate exercise training has been shown to strengthen ligaments, and there is evidence to suggest that therapeutic ultrasound or laser can hasten ligament healing after injury, but the optimal parameters for these treatments are yet to be determined