What is medial instability?

What is medial instability?

Medial knee instability is a serious knee injury that is common with cruciate ligament tears and multiple ligament knee injuries. There are varying degrees of medial instability with respect to pathologic axial rotation and valgus laxity.

What are the medial ligaments?

What is the medial collateral ligament? The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is a wide, thick band of tissue that runs down the inner part of the knee from the thighbone (femur) to a point on the shinbone (tibia) about 4 to 6 inches from the knee.

What is a medial injury?

A medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury is a stretch, partial tear, or complete tear of the ligament on the inside of the knee. It is one of the most common knee injuries and results mostly from a valgus force on the knee.

What is the medial stabilizer of the knee?

The superficial MCL is the most important medial stabiliser. With the knee in extension the posterior fibres are taut and the anterior fibres relaxed. With flexion of the knee the anterior fibres move proximally and become tight and are subject to an increase in tension as the joint is flexed.

Can I run with a sprained MCL?

Continuing to run will not only prolong your pain but could cause secondary injuries through a change in your gait. Although it may be sore to pressure, your doctor may not be able to demonstrate any local swelling. Depending on how severe the sprain is, there may be an effusion.

Can you walk on a torn MCL?

If the MCL or ACL tears, the result is usually pain, swelling, stiffness, and instability. In most cases, the injured person can still walk with the torn knee ligament. But the movement will be severely limited, not to mention painful. Surgery may be the best route to a pain-free life, with amazing success rates.

How does VST assess medial collateral ligament of the knee?

The VST assesses laxity of the MCL compared to the contralateral knee as a control. An increase in laxity and joint space usually distinguishes damage to the medical collateral ligament. The patient should be positioned supine.

How big is the medial collateral ligament ( MCL )?

The MCL measures 8-10 cm in length and has superficial and deep portions 4. The superficial MCL, also known as a tibial collateral ligament or vertical component of the MCL, is part of the middle layer of the medial capsuloligamentous complex of the knee.

Where is the distal attachment of the medial collateral ligament?

The proximal attachment blends into the semimembranosus tendon and the insertion of the distal attachment is at the posteromedial crest of the tibia. The Deep medial ligament (dMCL) is divided into two, the meniscofemoral and meniscotibial ligaments.

How is the medial collateral ligament damaged in skiing?

Injury. The most common knee structure damaged in skiing is the medial collateral ligament, although the carve turn has diminished the incidence somewhat. MCL strains and tears are also fairly common in American football. The center and the guards are the most common victims of this type of injury due to the grip trend on their cleats,…