Medial restraints to anterior-posterior motion of the knee

Abstract

We investigated the motion of cadaver knees before and after section of the medial structures and anterior cruciate ligament. The knees were tested using a 5-degrees-of-freedom in vitro knee-testing apparatus that measured anterior-posterior, medial-hateral, and axial displacement as well as internal-external and valgus-varus rotation. The fiexion angle could be varied but was fixed for each individual test. A 125-newton anterior-posterior force was applied perpendicular to the tibial shaft and the resulting motion of the knee was measured. In five knees the anterior cruciate ligament was cut first, followed by progressive cuts of the structures on the medial side (superficial medial collateral ligament, deep medial ligament, oblique fibers of the superficial medial ligament, and the posteromedial part of the capsule). Conversely, in five knees the medial structures were progressively cut first, followed by section of the anterior cruciate ligament. Tests were performed after each cut. With an intact anterior cruciate ligament, progressive cutting of the medial side had no effect on anterior and posterior displacements. When section of the medial structures followed cutting of the anterior cruciate ligament, anterior displacement exceeded that seen after isolated section of the anterior cruciate ligament. The anterior and posterior load-tests were repeated with the tibia fixed in 5 degrees of internal and 5 degrees of external rotation. Fixed external notation had no effect on anterior and posterior displacements. Fixed internal rotation significantly decreased anterior displacement only when both the anterior cruciate ligament and the medial structures were cut. The amounts of tibial rotation and tibial torque resulting from the applied anterior and posterior forces were low compared with our previous results, and we attributed this to decreased constraints on motion of the knee in the current testing apparatus.

Clinical relevance: Athletic injuries of the knee frequently involve both the anterior cruciate ligament and the medial side of the knee. Clinical studies have demonstrated that combined injuries of the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments often cannot be successfully managed conservatively. Our in vitro findings support the clinical data and suggest that injuries to the medial structures further compromise anterior stability when they accompany anterior cruciate injuries.