[Natural history of anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligament healing--literature review]

Abstract

The review discusses natural history of ligament healing of the knee. Medial collateral ligament heals by progressing through a series of inflammatory, proliferative and remodeling phases. Anterior cruciate ligament, after rupture, appears to retract initially, with no evidence of bridging scar formation. Why anterior cruciate ligament does not heal after rupture still remains unclear.