title: Clinically relevant anatomy and what anatomic reconstruction means.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Within the past 20 years, knee ligament injuries have been increasingly reported in the literature to be treated with anatomic reconstructions over soft tissue advancements or sling-type procedures to recreate the native anatomy and restore knee function. Historically, early clinician scientists published on the qualitative anatomy of the knee, which provided a foundation for the initial knee biomechanical studies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Similarly, the work of early sports medicine orthopaedic clinician scientists in the late twentieth century formed the basis for the quantitative anatomic and functional robotic biomechanical studies found currently in the sports medicine orthopaedic literature. The development of an anatomic reconstruction first requires an appreciation of the quantitative anatomy and function of each major stabilizing component of the knee.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper provides an overview of the initial qualitative anatomic studies from which the initial knee ligament surgeries were based and expands to recent detailed quantitative studies of the major knee ligaments and the renewed recent focus on anatomic surgical reconstructions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anatomic repairs and reconstructions of the anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and posterolateral corner attempt to restore knee function by rebuilding or restoring the native anatomy. The basis of anatomic reconstruction techniques is a detailed understanding of quantitative knee anatomy. Additionally, an appreciation of the function of each component is necessary to ensure surgical success.
  
  
  METHODS
  V.
authors.affiliation: The Steadman Clinic, 181 W. Meadow Drive, Suite 400, Vail, CO, 81657, USA. drlaprade@sprivail.org.|Steadman Philippon Research Institute, Vail, CO, USA. drlaprade@sprivail.org.
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: LaPrade
authors.affiliation: Steadman Philippon Research Institute, Vail, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Samuel G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Moulton
authors.affiliation: 2nd Orthopaedics and Traumatologic Clinic, Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nitri
authors.affiliation: Kantonsspital Baselland-Bruderholz, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.|Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Engebretsen
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Anatomic reconstruction; Anterior cruciate ligament; Complex knee instability; Medial collateral ligament; Posterior cruciate ligament; Posterolateral corner