Dr. Robert LaPrade was recently featured in a podcast for the American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM). Serving as an AJSM Editorial Board Memeber, Dr. LaPrade sat down with Dr. Christoper Harner, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Univeristy of Pittsburg Medical Center, to discuss his recently published article, “Effects of Knee Flexion Angle and Loading Conditions on the End-to-End Distance of the Posterior Cruciate Ligament: A Comparison of the Roles of the Anterolateral and Posteromedial Bundles”.
It is commonly accepted that the anterolateral (AL) bundle of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is tight in flexion and that the posteromedial (PM) bundle is tight in extension. However, Dr. Harner’s in vivo study showed that both bundles were tight in extension. Both bundles of the PCL may serve a greater functional role in flexion than in extension. The PM bundle might be more important for the control of rotation than the AL bundle. Posterior translation at 90° of knee flexion could be the most stressful condition for both bundles of the PCL, which may have implications for an injury mechanism.
To hear the complete podcast, please click here.
