title: [Knee ligament injuries].
abstract: Like no other joint of the human body the knee depends on intact ligaments. Knee instability due to ligament injuries will cause abnormal joint kinematics, and thereby is made responsible for secondary damage to other important knee joint structures. Diagnosis of knee ligament injuries is based on the detailed history with often typical injury patterns, as well as on the physical examination with specific knee ligament tests. In addition radiological evaluation is used. The range of knee ligament injuries is wide. Beginning with an isolated medial collateral ligament rupture which will heal with conservative treatment, they range to knee dislocation, a serious injury which needs emediate care and is associated with a high incidence of complications. Surgical procedures aim to reconstruct knee ligaments as anatomical as possible to provide for a long term stable knee joint.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Orthopädische Chirurgie und Traumatologie des Bewegungsapparates, Kantonsspital St. Gallen. henrik.behrend@kssg.ch
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Behrend
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stutz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bäthis
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kuster
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011182:Postoperative Care; D012421:Rupture