2018 Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy

The posterolateral corner (PLC) was once considered the “dark side” of the knee, and it was not until recent times that consistent anatomic and biomechanical descriptions aided in improved outcomes. Several factors may have contributed to previous inconsistent results including poorly defined diagnostic techniques, non-operative treatment of high-grade or combined injuries and reconstructive procedures that failed to restore the native anatomy or biomechanics. Understanding of PLC injuries including mechanisms of injury, the natural history of PLC pathology, and advances in the treatment (biomechanically validated anatomic reconstructions techniques) and rehabilitation protocols with early range of motion to avoid arthrofibrosis have increased markedly over the last two decades.

Despite considerable attention in the clinical orthopaedic literature (nearly 400 articles published in the last decade) a standardized algorithm for the diagnosis and treatment of these injuries is lacking, and controversies relating to these injuries remain. For the above-mentioned reasons, the purpose of this article was to develop an international consensus statement on the diagnosis, classification, treatment, and rehabilitation concepts of posterolateral corner (PLC) injuries of the knee. The overall goal of this study was to provide guidance on widely accepted and controversial issues regarding the management of PLC injuries as well as future directions for further research to address important gaps in the literature.

Download Full Article: Posterolateral corner of the knee: an expert consensus statement on diagnosis, classification, treatment, and rehabilitation

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