Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture with Lateral Meniscal Tear and Posterolateral Corner Injury
Abstract
The purpose of this poster is to present the unique case of a 19 year old, African American male junior college football running-back with a torn anterior cruciate ligament concomitant with a lateral meniscal tear and injury to the posterolateral corner of the left knee. The MRI results were provided by the physician as follows: Torn anterior cruciate ligament, posterior lateral meniscal tear, and injury to the posterolateral compartment including partial tears of both gastrocnemius heads, complete tear of the popliteal tendon, and partial tear of the fibular collateral ligament. The surgical procedure was initially planned to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament and posterolateral compartment of the knee, but once the surgeon began the procedure and was able to view the inside of the knee he discovered that the posterolateral corner healed on its own and no longer required surgical repair. However, the surgeon performed the traditional anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, a lateral meniscectomy, and debridement of the knee. The athlete’s semitendinosus tendon was used to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament by folding the tendon upon itself and sutured to create a three-stranded graft. This case is unique because hyperextension is more likely to place stress on and injure the posterior cruciate ligament and the anterior aspects of the menisci due to the femoral condyles pinching down in the front. However, during this hyperextension, the femur shifted posteriorly removing most of the stress from the posterior cruciate ligament and placing excess stress on the anterior cruciate ligament. The differential diagnosis was only slightly similar to the MRI diagnosis. A thorough history is very important to the injury evaluation process, but it may not always lead the athletic trainer to conclude the correct diagnosis. This injury is a unique case and shows that athletic trainers will have new experiences and learning opportunities regardless of their time in the field.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture with Lateral Meniscal Tear and Posterolateral Corner Injury
The purpose of this poster is to present the unique case of a 19 year old, African American male junior college football running-back with a torn anterior cruciate ligament concomitant with a lateral meniscal tear and injury to the posterolateral corner of the left knee. The MRI results were provided by the physician as follows: Torn anterior cruciate ligament, posterior lateral meniscal tear, and injury to the posterolateral compartment including partial tears of both gastrocnemius heads, complete tear of the popliteal tendon, and partial tear of the fibular collateral ligament. The surgical procedure was initially planned to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament and posterolateral compartment of the knee, but once the surgeon began the procedure and was able to view the inside of the knee he discovered that the posterolateral corner healed on its own and no longer required surgical repair. However, the surgeon performed the traditional anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, a lateral meniscectomy, and debridement of the knee. The athlete’s semitendinosus tendon was used to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament by folding the tendon upon itself and sutured to create a three-stranded graft. This case is unique because hyperextension is more likely to place stress on and injure the posterior cruciate ligament and the anterior aspects of the menisci due to the femoral condyles pinching down in the front. However, during this hyperextension, the femur shifted posteriorly removing most of the stress from the posterior cruciate ligament and placing excess stress on the anterior cruciate ligament. The differential diagnosis was only slightly similar to the MRI diagnosis. A thorough history is very important to the injury evaluation process, but it may not always lead the athletic trainer to conclude the correct diagnosis. This injury is a unique case and shows that athletic trainers will have new experiences and learning opportunities regardless of their time in the field.