Collateral ligament injury of the knee joint

　　When the knee is extended, if the lateral side of the knee or leg is struck or pressed with great force, causing the knee to overabduct, the medial collateral ligament may partially or completely rupture. Conversely, if the medial side of the knee or leg is struck or pressed with force, causing the knee to overadduct, the lateral collateral ligament may partially or completely rupture. In severe trauma, the collateral ligaments, cruciate ligaments, and menisci may be injured simultaneously.

　　The knee joint structure is complex, with many injuries, and the injuries are mostly compound injuries. This disease often accompanies anterior cruciate ligament injury, posterior cruciate ligament injury, meniscus injury, bone contusion, fracture, joint effusion, and ecchymosis of the soft tissues around the knee joint.

　　Collateral ligament injury of the knee joint usually has a clear history of trauma. When injured, patients may hear a sound of ligament rupture and quickly become unable to continue exercise or work due to severe pain. The injured side of the knee is locally painful and swollen, sometimes with ecchymosis. The knee joint cannot be fully extended. The site of ligament injury is significantly tender. When the medial collateral ligament is injured, the tender point is usually at the lower edge of the medial epicondyle of the femur or the medial condyle of the tibia; when the lateral ligament is injured, the tender point is at the lateral epicondyle of the femur or the head of the fibula.

　　In terms of prevention of collateral ligament injury of the knee joint, the following points should be noted:

　　1. Do warm-up exercises before exercise to warm up the joints first.

　　2. Do not exercise in a fatigued state.

　　3. Strengthen the exercise of lower limb strength to ensure the stability and flexibility of the knee joint.

　　4. In sports, prevent rough actions from causing accidental injuries.

　　5. Pay attention to keeping the knee warm, and perform knee heat therapy and massage at regular times every day.

　　6. Avoid overexertion of the knee joint, try not to do squats with the knee joint.

　　The diagnosis of collateral ligament injury of the knee joint relies not only on its clinical manifestations but also on chemical tests. The main examination methods include the following:

　　1. X-ray Examination

　　Under local anesthesia, extend the knee joint, 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

　　Magnetic resonance imaging can clearly show the condition of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, and can also find ligament structural injury and hidden fracture lines.

　　3. Arthroscopy

　　Arthroscopic examination is very important for the diagnosis of collateral ligament injury.

　　The diet of patients with knee collateral ligament injury should include more fresh fruits and vegetables, such as figs, lichee, walnut, loofah, portulaca, soy sauce, olive, almond, luffa, etc. In addition, patients should pay attention to reducing the intake of sweets, as sugars are easy to cause allergies, which can worsen the development of synovitis of the joint, and easily cause the joint to swell and become more painful.

　　When treating knee collateral ligament injury, the following situations should be distinguished:

　　1. Fresh lateral collateral ligament injury

　　1. Partial rupture:Place the knee at 150～160° of flexion, and fix it with a long leg cast (excluding the foot and ankle). After one week, the patient can walk with the cast. After 4～6 weeks, remove the fixation, practice knee flexion and extension activities, and pay attention to strengthening the quadriceps muscle.

　　2. Complete rupture:When completely ruptured, surgical repair of the ligament should be performed. After the operation, a long leg cast should be fixed for 6 weeks. If there is a cruciate ligament injury, the cruciate ligament should be repaired first, then the collateral ligament; if there is a meniscus injury, the damaged meniscus should be removed first, then the ligament injury should be repaired.

　　2. Old lateral collateral ligament rupture

　　Strengthening the quadriceps muscle exercises should be enhanced to increase 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

　　3. Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

　　All anterior cruciate ligament ruptures before two weeks should strive for surgical suture. Currently, it is advocated to perform ligament suture under arthroscopy.

　　4. Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

　　For posterior cruciate ligament injury, the current view is to repair it early under arthroscopy.