After a rotational injury to the knee, a patient hears a pop and notices that the knee is swollen within 60-90 minutes.
This is most likely due to injury to the?
b. Anterior cruciate ligament
c. Posterior cruciate ligament
d. Lateral collateral ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are most often a result of low-velocity, noncontact, deceleration injuries and contact injuries with a rotational component. Contact sports also may produce injury to the ACL secondary to twisting, valgus stress, or hyperextension all directly related to contact or collision.
Most ACL injuries may be diagnosed through a careful history emphasizing mechanism of injury coupled with a good physical examination. Remember that a previous ligamentous injury may be the cause of instability. When discussing the history, be sure to document mechanism of injury for this episode and any previous episodes.
An audible pop often accompanies this injury, which often occurs while changing direction, cutting, or landing from a jump (usually a hyperextension/pivot combination).
Within a few hours, a large hemarthrosis develops. Patients usually are unable to return to play, secondary to pain, swelling, and instability or giving way of the knee.