Two knee surgeons in Belgium have provided the first full anatomical description of a previously enigmatic ligament in the human knee. The ligament appears to play an important role in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears.
It’s pretty incredible that after centuries of dissection and surgery, there can be an undiscovered body party, but that is what two Belgian surgeons have concluded. They discovered a “new” ligament in the knee, called the anterolateral ligament, which is located adjacent to the LCL. Their current research focuses on how the ligament relates to ACL function and recovery. The discovery reminds me of the scene in “The Truman Show” when Truman tells his teacher he wants to be an explorer when he grows up. As she pulls down a map of the world she tells him, “You can’t. It’s too late. Everything has already been discovered!”
Except maybe not.