The Synergistic Role of the Lateral Meniscus Posterior Root and the ALL in Providing Anterolateral Rotational Stability of the Knee

Abstract

Objectives: Injury to the anterolateral ligament (ALL) has been reported to contribute to high-grade anterolateral laxity following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Failure to address ALL injury has been suggested as a cause of persistent rotational laxity following ACL reconstruction. However, lateral meniscus posterior root (LMPR) tears have also has been shown to cause increased internal rotation and anterior translation of the knee. Due to the anatomic relationship of the ALL and the lateral meniscus, we hypothesize that the ALL and lateral meniscus work synergistically, and that a tear to the LMPR will have the same effect on anterolateral laxity as an ALL tear in the ACL deficient knee. Methods: Sixteen fresh frozen cadaveric knee specimens (mid -femur to mid-tibia) were potted into a hip simulator (femur) and a six degree-of-freedom load cell (tibia). Two rigid optical trackers were inserted into the proximal femur and distal tibia, allowing for the motion of the tibia with respect to the femur to be tracked during biomechanical tests. A series of points on the femur and tibia were digitized to create bone coordinate systems that were used to calculate the kinematic variables. Biomechanical testing involved applying a 5 Nm internal rotation moment to the tibia while the knee was in full extension and tested sequentially in the following three conditions: i) ACLintact