Ligament
An athlete is struck on the lateral side of the knee while the foot is planted. The knee is forced into a valgus position. A valgus stress test at 30 degrees reveals laxity, but not at 0 degrees. Which ligament is most directly stressed?
What is the medial collateral ligament (MCL)?
A basketball player plants one foot, rotates the body, and experiences pain along the medial joint line. Which structure is most likely injured?
What is the medial meniscus?
A patient reports an aching knee, recurrent swelling, point tenderness, and occasional catching or locking. Quadriceps atrophy may also be present. There is a positive Wilson's. What condition should be considered?
What is osteochondritis dissecans (OCD)?
An athlete experiences pain at the inferior pole of the patella due to repetitive strain from the patellar tendon. What condition is this?
What is Sinding-Larsen-Johansson disease?
A patient develops localized swelling over the front of the knee. The swelling is ballotable, with possible redness and increased temperature, but it is not within the joint itself. What condition is most likely?
What is prepatellar bursitis?
Describe the difference between a Grade 2 and Grade 3 MCL sprain in terms of ligament damage and joint stability.
A Grade 2 sprain involves partial disruption of ligament fibers and may produce moderate swelling, pain, weakness, and some laxity. A Grade 3 sprain involves a complete tear, resulting in loss of medial stability and more significant joint opening with valgus stress.
A patient experiences joint-line pain, intermittent locking, giving way, and difficulty performing a full squat. Swelling develops gradually over 48–72 hours. What pathology is most consistent with these findings?
What is a meniscal lesion or meniscal tear?
A patient sustains a knee injury and immediately develops joint effusion and crepitus. The patient reports diffuse joint-line pain and pain when standing or walking. What injury is most consistent with these findings?
What is an osteochondral knee fracture?
A young athlete reports pain localized to the tibial tubercle. The symptoms are associated with repetitive stress in a growing athlete. What condition is most likely?
What is Osgood-Schlatter disease?
A patient has swelling in the popliteal fossa. The swelling is associated with the semimembranosus bursa and occurs beneath the medial head of the gastrocnemius. What is this condition called?
What is a Baker’s cyst?
A skier loses control, causing the body weight to shift toward the outside edge of the ski. The knee experiences a varus force, potentially with internal rotation of the tibia. Which ligament is most likely injured, and what additional structures may be damaged in a severe injury?
What is the lateral collateral ligament (LCL)? Severe injuries may also involve the cruciate ligaments, iliotibial band attachments, biceps femoris, menisci, or cause an avulsion fracture.
Compare the healing potential of meniscal tears...Why do these regions differ?
There is different blood supply.
Explain the difference between osteochondral fracture and osteochondritis dissecans.
An osteochondral fracture can include immediate effusion, crepitus, diffuse joint-line pain, and painful weight bearing. OCD is associated with aching pain, recurrent swelling, point tenderness, possible catching or locking, and quadriceps atrophy.
A patient experiences anterior knee pain when walking, running, climbing stairs, and squatting. The patient also reports recurrent swelling and a grating sensation when flexing and extending the knee. What pathology is associated with these symptoms?
What is chondromalacia patella?
Repeated irritation causes capillary hemorrhaging and swelling of fatty tissue beneath the patellar ligament. The patient experiences pain during knee extension, weakness, mild swelling, and stiffness. What pathology is involved?
What is infrapatellar fat pad irritation or injury?
An athlete lands from a jump while decelerating. The foot contacts the ground with the knee near full extension and in valgus. The athlete experiences a pop, immediate disability, rapid swelling, and a sensation that the knee is shifting.
What is an ACL tear?
A patient has a vertical longitudinal tear involving the meniscus. The injury may occur when the knee is forcefully extended from a flexed position while the femur is internally rotated. What is this specific tear pattern commonly called?
What is a bucket-handle tear?
A direct blow to the knee causes damage to the joint surface and underlying bone. The patient develops immediate swelling and pain with weight bearing. What long-term joint condition can develop following this type of injury?
What is osteoarthritis?
A patient experiences a lateral displacement of the patella. The medial capsular tissues become stretched or torn, and the patient develops swelling, pain, and restricted knee motion. What injury occurred, and what additional injury may accompany a first-time episode?
What is an acute patellar dislocation? A first-time dislocation may also be associated with a chondral or osteochondral fracture.
An athlete experiences a blow to the lateral knee and develops pain radiating down the anterior leg toward the dorsum of the foot. The athlete also reports numbness and tingling. Which nerve is likely involved?
What is the common peroneal nerve?
A patient sustains a blow to the anterior aspect of a bent knee while the knee is flexed approximately 90 degrees. The patient later reports a pop in the back of the knee, with relatively little swelling in the popliteal fossa. What injury occurred?
What is a PCL sprain?
An oblique lateral meniscus tear is known as?
This lateral tear pattern is sometimes called a parrot-beak tear.
A patient sustains a direct blow to the knee and develops severe pain, loss of movement, acute inflammation, and discoloration. The injury appears similar to a knee sprain. With immediate treatment, functional use may return within 24–48 hours. What is the most likely diagnosis?
What is a joint contusion?
A basketball player suddenly feels a sharp pain in the anterior knee while jumping. The athlete cannot actively extend the knee. The patella appears unusually high, and a palpable defect is present below it. What serious injury should be suspected?
What is a patellar tendon rupture?
A severe contusion to a nerve near the lateral knee produces weakness of the peroneal muscles and dorsiflexors. The patient develops difficulty lifting the foot during walking. What complication has occurred?
What is foot drop resulting from significant common peroneal nerve injury?