Search

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of each of the ACL and medial ligament structures in resisting anteromedial rotatory instability (AMRI) loads applied in vitro. Methods Twelve knees were tested using a robotic system. It imposed loads simulating clinical laxity tests at 0° to 90° flexion: ±90 N anterior–posterior force, ±8 Nm varus–valgus moment, and ±5 Nm internal–external rotation, and the tibial displacements were measured in the intact knee. The ACL and individual medial structures—retinaculum, superficial and deep medial collateral ligament (sMCL and dMCL), and posteromedial capsule with oblique ligament (POL + PMC)—were sectioned sequentially. The tibial displacements were reapplied after each cut and the reduced loads required allowed the contribution of each structure to be calculated. Results For anterior translation, the ACL was the primary restraint, resisting 63–77% of the drawer force across 0° to 90°, the sMCL contributing 4–7%. For posterior translation, the POL + PMC contributed 10% of the restraint in extension; other structures were not significant. For valgus load, the sMCL was the primary restraint (40–54%) across 0° to 90°, the dMCL 12%, and POL + PMC 16% in extension. For external rotation, the dMCL resisted 23–13% across 0° to 90°, the sMCL 13–22%, and the ACL 6–9%. Conclusion The dMCL is the largest medial restraint to tibial external rotation in extension. Therefore, following a combined ACL + MCL injury, AMRI may persist if there is inadequate healing of both the sMCL and dMCL, and MCL deficiency increases the risk of ACL graft failure.

Background:Tibial torsion is a twist in the tibia measured as an angle between a proximal axis line and a distal axis line. Abnormal torsion has been associated with a variety of painful clinical syndromes of the lower limb. Measurements of normal tibial torsion reported by different authors vary by 100% (ranging from 20° to 42°), making it impossible to determine normal and pathological levels.Purpose:To address the problem of unreliable measurements, this study was conducted to define an automated, validated computer method to calculate tibial torsion. Reliability was compared with current clinical methods. The difference between measurements of torsion generated from computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the same bone, and between males and females, was assessed.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:Previous methods of analyzing tibial torsion were reviewed, and limitations were identified. An automated measurement method to address these limitations was defined. A total of 56 cadaveric and patient tibiae (mean ± SD age, 37 ± 15 years; range, 17-71 years; 28 female) underwent CT scanning, and 3 blinded assessors made torsion measurements by applying 2 current clinical methods and the automated method defined in the present article. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values were calculated. Further, 12 cadaveric tibiae were scanned by MRI, stripped of tissue, and measured using a structured light (SL) scanner. Differences between torsion values obtained from CT, SL, and MRI scans, and between males and females, were compared using t tests. SPSS was used for all statistical analysis.Results:When the automated method was used, the tibiae had a mean external torsion of 29°± 11° (range, 9°-65). Automated torsion assessment had excellent reliability (ICC, 1), whereas current methods had good reliability (ICC, 0.78-0.81). No significant difference was found between the torsion values calculated from SL and CT ( P = .802), SL and MRI ( P = .708), or MRI and CT scans ( P = .826).Conclusion:The use of software to automatically perform measurements ensures consistency, time efficiency, validity, and accuracy not possible with manual measurements, which are dependent on assessor experience.Clinical Relevance:We recommend that this method be adopted in clinical practice to establish databases of normal and pathological tibial torsion reference values and ultimately guide management of related conditions.

Chronic tendinopathies represent a major problem in the clinical practice of sports orthopaedic surgeons, sports doctors and other health professionals involved in the treatment of athletes and patients that perform repetitive actions. The lack of consensus relative to the diagnostic tools and treatment modalities represents a management dilemma for these professionals. With this review, the purpose of the ESSKA Basic Science Committee is to establish guidelines for understanding, diagnosing and treating this complex pathology.

Background: Anterolateral complex injuries are becoming more recognized. While these are known to affect tibiofemoral mechanics, it is not known how they affect patellofemoral joint behavior. Purpose: To determine the effect of (1) sectioning the anterolateral complex and (2) performing a MacIntosh tenodesis under various conditions on patellofemoral contact mechanics and kinematics. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Eight fresh-frozen cadaveric knees were tested in a customized rig, with the femur fixed and tibia free to move, with optical tracking to record patellar kinematics and with thin pressure sensors to record patellofemoral contact pressures at 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° of knee flexion. The quadriceps and iliotibial tract were loaded with 205 N throughout testing. Intact and anterolateral complex–sectioned states were tested, followed by 4 randomized tenodeses applying 20- and 80-N graft tension, each with the tibia in its neutral intact alignment or left free to rotate. Statistical analyses were undertaken with repeated measures analysis of variance, Bonferroni post hoc analysis, and paired samples t tests. Results: Patellar kinematics and contact pressures were not significantly altered after sectioning of the anterolateral complex (all: P > .05). Similarly, they were not significantly different from the intact knee in tenodeses performed when fixed tibial rotation was combined with 20- or 80-N graft tension (all: P > .05). However, grafts tensioned with 20 N and 80 N while the tibia was free hanging resulted in significant increases in lateral patellar tilt ( P < .05), and significantly elevated lateral peak patellofemoral pressures ( P < .05) were observed for 80 N. Conclusion: This work did not find that an anterolateral injury altered patellofemoral mechanics or kinematics, but adding a lateral tenodesis can elevate lateral contact pressures and induce lateral patellar tilting if the tibia is pulled into external rotation by the tenodesis. Although these in vitro changes were small and might not be relevant in a fully loaded knee, controlling the position of the tibia at graft fixation is effective in avoiding overconstraint at time zero in a lateral tenodesis. Clinical Relevance: Small changes in lateral patellar tilt and patellofemoral contact pressures were found at time zero with a MacIntosh tenodesis. These changes were eliminated when the tibia was held in neutral rotation at the time of graft fixation. The risk of overconstraint after a lateral tenodesis therefore seems low and in accordance with recent published reports.

PURPOSE: The infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) is a common cause of knee pain and loss of knee flexion and extension. However, its anatomy and behavior are not consistently defined. METHODS: Thirty-six unpaired fresh frozen knees (median age 34 years, range 21-68) were dissected, and IFP attachments and volume measured. The rectus femoris was elevated, suprapatellar pouch opened and videos recorded looking inferiorly along the femoral shaft at the IFP as the knee was flexed. The patellar retinacula were incised and the patella reflected distally. The attachment of the ligamentum mucosum (LMuc) to the intercondylar notch was released from the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), both menisci and to the tibia via meniscotibial ligaments. IFP strands projecting along both sides of the patella were elevated and the IFP dissected from the inferior patellar pole. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of one knee at ten flexion angles was performed and the IFP, patella, tibia and femur segmented. RESULTS: In all specimens the IFP attached to the inferior patellar pole, femoral intercondylar notch (via the LMuc), proximal patellar tendon, intermeniscal ligament, both menisci and the anterior tibia via the meniscotibial ligaments. In 30 specimens the IFP attached to the anterior ACL fibers via the LMuc, and in 29 specimens it attached directly to the central anterior tibia. Proximal IFP extensions were identified alongside the patella in all specimens and visible on MRI [medially (100% of specimens), mean length 56.2 ± 8.9 mm, laterally (83%), mean length 23.9 ± 6.2 mm]. Mean IFP volume was 29.2 ± 6.1 ml. The LMuc, attached near the base of the middle IFP lobe, acting as a 'tether' drawing it superiorly during knee extension. The medial lobe consistently had a pedicle superomedially, positioned between the patella and medial trochlea. MRI scans demonstrated how the space between the anterior tibia and patellar tendon ('the anterior interval') narrowed during knee flexion, displacing the IFP superiorly and posteriorly as it conformed to the trochlear and intercondylar notch surfaces. CONCLUSION: Proximal IFP extensions are a novel description. The IFP is a dynamic structure, displacing significantly during knee motion, which is, therefore, vulnerable to interference from trauma or repetitive overload. Given that this trauma is often surgical, it may be appropriate that surgeons learn to minimize injury to the fat pad at surgery.

PURPOSE: To assess whether early rehabilitation could be safe after flexor digitorum longus (FDL) tendon transfer, the current biomechanical study aimed to measure tendon displacement under cyclic loading and load to failure, comparing a traditional tendon-to-tendon (TT) repair with interference screw fixation (ISF). METHODS: 24 fresh-frozen cadaveric below knee specimens underwent FDL tendon transfer. In 12 specimens a TT repair was performed via a navicular bone tunnel. In a further 12 specimens ISF was performed. Using a materials testing machine, the FDL tendon was cycled 1000 times to 150 N and tendon displacement at the insertion site measured. A final load to failure test was then performed. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way ANOVA and an independent t test, with a significance level of p

Background:Despite numerous technical descriptions of anterolateral procedures, knowledge is limited regarding the effect of knee flexion angle during graft fixation.Purpose:To determine the effect of knee flexion angle during graft fixation on tibiofemoral joint kinematics for a modified Lemaire tenodesis or an anterolateral ligament (ALL) complex reconstruction combined with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:Twelve cadaveric knees were mounted in a test rig with kinematics recorded from 0° to 90° flexion. Loads applied to the tibia were 90-N anterior translation, 5-N·m internal tibial rotation, and combined 90-N anterior force and 5-N·m internal rotation. Intact, ACL-deficient, and combined ACL plus anterolateral-deficient states were tested, and then ACL reconstruction was performed and testing was repeated. Thereafter, modified Lemaire tenodeses and ALL procedures with graft fixation at 0°, 30°, and 60° of knee flexion and 20-N graft tension were performed combined with the ACL reconstruction, and repeat testing was performed throughout. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni-adjusted t tests were used for statistical analysis.Results:In combined ACL and anterolateral deficiency, isolated ACL reconstruction left residual laxity for both anterior translation and internal rotation. Anterior translation was restored for all combinations of ACL and anterolateral procedures. The combined ACL reconstruction and ALL procedure restored intact knee kinematics when the graft was fixed in full extension, but when the graft was fixed in 30° and 60°, the combined procedure left residual laxity in internal rotation ( P = .043). The combined ACL reconstruction and modified Lemaire procedure restored internal rotation regardless of knee flexion angle at graft fixation. When the combined ACL reconstruction and lateral procedure states were compared with the ACL-only reconstructed state, a significant reduction in internal rotation laxity was seen with the modified Lemaire tenodesis but not with the ALL procedure.Conclusion:In a knee with combined ACL and anterolateral ligament injuries, the modified Lemaire tenodesis combined with ACL reconstruction restored normal laxities at all angles of flexion for graft fixation (0°, 30°, or 60°), with 20 N of tension. The combined ACL and ALL procedure restored intact knee kinematics when tensioned in full extension.Clinical Relevance:In combined anterolateral procedure plus intra-articular ACL reconstruction, the knee flexion angle is important when fixing the graft. A modified Lemaire procedure restored intact knee laxities when fixation was performed at 0°, 30°, or 60° of flexion. The ALL procedure restored normal laxities only when fixation occurred in full extension.