Lateral Collateral

Medial collateral ligament injuries of the knee are not uncommon. Many well known professional athletes, including Hines Ward, Knowshan Moreno, and Troy Polamalu, suffered tears of the medial collateral ligament following an injury on the football field. These can occur alone or in combination with other ligaments or cartilage of knee injuries among athletes.

What is the medial collateral ligament?

Medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the cruciate and lateral collateral ligament is essential to the stability of the knee joint. The MCL is a fibrous band of tissue composed of collagen fibers along the inner surface of the knee at the end of the thigh bone (femur) to the top of the tibia (shin bone). In this situation, MCL offers "from side to side" of the stability of the knee and prevents the enlargement of the internal aspect of the articulation with the forces applied to the outside aspect of the knee (force valgus). When large forces are applied to the exterior of the knee, as can happen during a football or face the awkward slide into the base, baseball can be stretched ligament (sprain) or torn .

The LFA is composed of a superficial and a deep layer. The superficial MCL extends from the distal femur on the tibia four or five inches below the knee line, and lies just below the sheath of the tendon of the sartorius muscle. The deep layer of MCL is located just outside the capsule of the knee and inserts directly into the tibial plateau and medial meniscus. The surface layers is much more important in the mechanical strength of the external appearance of the knee (valgus "force).

What is the MCL injuries in athletes?

Because MCL resists expansion within the knee joint, the MCL is usually injured indirectly by the traumatic forces in the outside of the knee. These are certainly common in contact sports tackles or "injury clipping in football and soccer. However, MCL injuries can also occur without contact mechanisms such as the awkward landing or pivoting happened Basketball ball or slide into the base of baseball. MCL sprains or tears can occur alone or in combination with injuries to the meniscus, cartilage or ligaments.

What are the signs of a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries in athletes?

The most common symptom after an MCL injury is pain directly on the inside of the knee. The LFA can be painful to palpation over his commitment to the thigh bone (femur) proximal, mid substance, or down on the tibia (shin bone), depending on the location of the injury. Pain can also be bred with an emphasis on the knee with a force applied to the exterior of the knee (valgus force), trying to expand the internal aspect of the joint and the stress of the MCL. If a valgus force is applied, the inner surface of the joint space can be felt - the enlargement of 5 to 10 mm longer than normal, intact knee is important for injury MCL. Swelling on the torn ligament may appear, and general bruising or swelling of the joint is not uncommon. In more serious injury, patients may complain that the knee is unstable and the feeling that the knee may "give" or distort.

On the basis of physical examination, MCL injuries are classified in severity on a scale of I to III.

Grade I injuries are incomplete tears of the MCL. The ligament is still intact, but tense, and the symptoms are mild. Usually, patients complain of pain on palpation of the MCL.

Grade II MCL tears are partial or incomplete tears of the MCL. It is significant pain with valgus stress knee and tenderness along the medial side.