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Cruciate Ligament Rupture
The knee is a joint that is formed by three bones: Femur (the long bone extending down from the hip); Tibia (the bone between the knee and ankle); and Patella (the kneecap). These bones are joined together by a number of ligaments, which are tough fibrous bands of tissue. Two ligaments crisscross in the joint from the femur to the tibia and are called cruciate ligaments (cruciate means cross). The one towards the front of the leg is called the anterior cruciate ligament and the one crossing behind it is the posterior cruciate ligament. These ligaments prevent the ends of the femur and tibia from moving back and forth across each other.
When the anterior cruciate ligament ruptures (the most common type), the joint becomes unstable and the femur and tibia can move back and forth across each other. The anterior cruciate ligament is most commonly torn when the dog twists on his hind leg. The twisting motion puts too much tension on the ligament and it tears. This often occurs if the dog slips on a slippery surface, makes a sudden turn while running, or is hit by a car. We used to think that cruciate problem only ever appeared suddenly – after a sudden twisting movement or due to jumping up or out of an elevated location. But some scientists now think that this problem has usually been brewing for some time. There is even some evidence that these ligaments may tear after your pet's joint becomes inflamed - rather than becoming inflamed because of a torn ligament as we had once supposed. Whatever the cause or causes, something more than a simple accident is usually occurring because it is common for the pet's other knee may go the same way due to prolonged over compensation by the other limb sometime after the first (usually within a year). It is important to note that obesity puts too much weight on the knee and overweight dogs tend to have more occurrences of ruptured cruciate ligaments.