Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Jun;12(2):239-244.
doi: 10.1007/s12178-019-09549-3.

Combined Anterior Cruciate Ligament and Medial Collateral Ligament Knee Injuries: Anatomy, Diagnosis, Management Recommendations, and Return to Sport

Joshua L Elkin  1   2 , Edgar Zamora  1 , Robert A Gallo  3
Affiliations
Review

Combined Anterior Cruciate Ligament and Medial Collateral Ligament Knee Injuries: Anatomy, Diagnosis, Management Recommendations, and Return to Sport

Joshua L Elkin et al. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose of review: The diagnosis and management of combined anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries have been a controversial topic for several decades. No single approach has proven optimal for treatment and there is no consensus between most specialists. This review seeks to describe and clarify the current state and the future of management.

Recent findings: Most authors agree on reconstructing of the ACL with non-operative management of the MCL in grade I and II injuries, respectively. However, controversy still exists about the optimal method of treating a combined ACL with higher grade MCL injuries. Management should be customized based on acuity, injury grade, and specific goals for each patient. Future research with clinical outcomes may facilitate creating guidelines to optimize recovery.

Keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament; Combined injuries; Medial collateral ligament.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Joshua L. Elkin, Edgar Zamora, and Robert A. Gallo have not received (or agreed to receive) from a commercial entity something of value (exceeding the equivalent of US$500) related in any way to this manuscript.

Robert A. Gallo received institutional research support from Aesculap for a novel cartilage scaffold trial. Dr. Gallo is a section editor for Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine.

References

    1. Bernstein J. Musculoskeletal medicine. Rosemont, Ill: Amer Academy of Orthopaedic; 2003.
    1. Treme et al. UFO. Medial ligamentous injuries of the knee: acute and chronic. Musculoskelet Key 2016. https://musculoskeletalkey.com/medial-ligamentous-injuries-of-the-knee-a... (Accessed 14 May 2018).
    1. Robins AJ, Newman AP, Burks RT. Postoperative return of motion in anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament injuries. The effect of medial collateral ligament rupture location. Am J Sports Med. 1993;21:20–25. doi: 10.1177/036354659302100104. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jung H-J, Fisher MB, Woo SL-Y. Role of biomechanics in the understanding of normal, injured, and healing ligaments and tendons. Sports Med Arthrosc Rehabil Ther Technol SMARTT. 2009;1:9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Grood ES, Noyes FR, Butler DL, Suntay WJ. Ligamentous and capsular restraints preventing straight medial and lateral laxity in intact human cadaver knees. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1981;63:1257–1269. doi: 10.2106/00004623-198163080-00007. - DOI - PubMed