Knee Ligament Injuries

Many ligaments around the knee can be injured. Other than the ACL, the other ligaments that see injury include the MCL (medial collateral ligament), PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), LCL (lateral collateral ligament, as part of the posterolateral corner of the knee), and the MPFL (medial patellofemoral ligament).

The MCL is the most commonly injured in the knee. It is very tight and allows the knee to pivot around it. Most MCL injuries do not require surgery, and heal with appropriate bracing and physical rehabilitation.

There are select situations in which an MCL benefits from surgery. These include settings where the MCL has healed without surgery but with persistent anteromedial rotatory instability (AMRI), in multi-ligament injury settings and certain major MCL injury patterns.

The PCL is the sibling to the ACL, living just behind it. It is responsible for positioning the tibia properly and prevents the femur from driving forward in your knee. Strong quadriceps muscles are able to compensate for a PCL injury, and often patients are able to manage well without surgery after a PCL rupture, after bracing and physical therapy.

There are select situations that benefit from PCL reconstruction, such as in multi-ligament injuries, certain athlete populations, and for patients with persistent chronic instability after non-operative management.

The Posterolateral Corner is a group of structures that includes the LCL. These are usually associated with a PCL rupture, and often, but not always, are most appropriately managed with surgical repair and reconstruction.

The MPFL is the primary ligamentous restraint to your patella dislocating. It is, by definition, ruptured any time someone first dislocates their kneecap. This is best described in Patella Dislocation (hyperlink to Patella Dislocation)