Medial collateral ligament injury of the knee

　　When the knee joint is in a mild flexed position, the lateral side of the joint can be damaged by gravity or severe trauma, leading to an injury of the medial collateral ligament of the knee.

　　Among knee ligament injuries, the most common is the medial collateral ligament injury, which often occurs when the knee is slightly flexed, and the lower leg is suddenly abducted to cause it. For example, in football, basketball, or when a heavy object falls on the lateral side of the knee joint, it can cause medial collateral ligament injury. With lighter external force, ligament strain or partial fiber rupture may occur. With severe external force, complete rupture or combined with anterior cruciate ligament rupture or meniscus rupture may occur.

　　The knee joint structure is complex, with frequent trauma, and its injuries are mostly complex injuries, especially the complications of the tibial collateral ligament injuries, accounting for about 73%, among which the grade III injury is accompanied by injury to other structures about 100%. Common injuries include anterior cruciate ligament injury, posterior cruciate ligament injury, meniscus injury, bone contusion, fracture, joint effusion, and hematoma of the soft tissues around the knee joint.

　　Medial collateral ligament injury of the knee joint usually has a clear history of trauma. When injured, you may hear a sound of ligament rupture, and you will quickly be unable to continue sports or work due to severe pain. The injured side of the knee will have local severe pain, swelling, and sometimes ecchymosis, and the knee joint cannot be fully extended. The pressure pain at the site of ligament injury is obvious. When the medial collateral ligament is injured, the pressure point is often at the lower edge of the femoral epicondyle or the tibial epicondyle; when the lateral ligament is injured, the pressure point is at the femoral lateral epicondyle or the head of the fibula.

　　Medial collateral ligament injury of the knee joint often occurs in sports enthusiasts or athletes. Proper landing techniques are important for preventing knee joint injuries. It is recommended that athletes land with the front foot first, the knee bent, and the trunk slightly forward. Try to avoid lateral or forward and backward movements of the knee joint. Remember that the knee joint should not be twisted inward when landing, and the impact force should be reduced as much as possible.

　　Medial collateral ligament injury of the knee joint, often caused by direct collision injury or sudden fall in a flexed knee rotation position. Mild cases may have partial injury, while severe cases can be completely ruptured, or accompanied by meniscus or cruciate ligament injury. The diagnosis of this disease requires the following examinations:

　　1. X-ray examination

　　Under local anesthesia, extend the knee joint, as per the above examination methods, forcibly abduct or adduct the knee, take an anteroposterior X-ray film. If the collateral ligament is completely ruptured, the joint space on the injured side will be widened.

　　2. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

　　It can clearly show the condition of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, and can also find unexpected ligament structure injuries and hidden fracture lines.

　　3. Arthroscopy

　　It is very important for the diagnosis of cruciate ligament injury.

　　4. Special examination

　　(1) Lateral pressure test (separation test): The knee joint is extended, the examiner holds the injured limb ankle with one hand, and the palm of the other hand supports the inside or outside of the upper knee with the palm's metacarpal area, forcibly abducting or adducting the lower leg. If the medial collateral ligament is partially injured, pain may occur during abduction due to the stretching of the injured ligament; if it is completely ruptured, there will be abnormal abduction movement. Conversely, if the lateral collateral ligament is partially injured, pain may occur during adduction due to the stretching of the injured ligament; if it is completely ruptured, there will be abnormal adduction movement.

　　(2) Drawer Test: Increased anterior shift indicates a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament, and increased posterior shift indicates a tear in the posterior cruciate ligament. It should be compared with the opposite side.

　　(3) Pivot Shift Test: Positive results indicate a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament.

　　Medial collateral ligament injury can be treated with Western medicine or conservative Chinese medicine. Both of these injuries have the phenomenon of qi stagnation and blood stasis, and foods with the functions of promoting qi, activating blood, dissipating blood stasis, and relieving pain can be selected, such as Panax notoginseng, scallion, tangerine peel, rose, crab, rapeseed, lotus root, eggplant, hawthorn, luffa, pork blood, etc. However, it must be noted that if there is still bleeding, it is not advisable to choose such foods.

　　If the injury has been present for a long time, it often has symptoms of deficiency, and it is advisable to choose foods that tonify the liver and kidney, such as grapes, black beans, chicken, beef, pork, lamb, rabbit meat, etc. Natural high-quality plant protein + vitamin C + calcium magnesium tablets will form collagen to help accelerate recovery.

　　Medial collateral ligament injury usually has a clear history of trauma. It is caused by the ligament being stretched beyond the physiological load, resulting in tearing, rupture, and other conditions. The treatment method for this disease is:

　　1. Medial collateral ligament injury

　　(1) Partial Rupture:Place the knee at 150° to 160° of flexion, and fix it with a long leg cast (excluding the foot and ankle), and you can walk with the cast on for a week. After 4 to 6 weeks, the fixation is removed, and the flexion and extension activities of the knee joint are practiced, with attention to the exercise of the quadriceps muscle.

　　(2) Complete Rupture:Emergency surgery should be performed to repair the ruptured ligament, and the long leg cast should be fixed for 6 weeks after the operation. If there is a cruciate ligament injury, the cruciate ligament should be repaired first, and then the collateral ligament; if there is a meniscus injury, the damaged meniscus should be removed first, and then the ligament should be repaired.

　　2. Old knee medial collateral ligament rupture

　　Strengthen the quadriceps muscle exercises to enhance the stability of the knee joint. If the knee is very unstable, the tendons of the adjacent area can be used for ligament reconstruction surgery. Recently, there have been reports that carbon fiber is used as the material for reconstructing the collateral ligament, achieving relatively satisfactory results.