Medial collateral ligament of the knee
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At the time the article was created Shu Su had no recorded disclosures.
View Shu Su's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Andrew Murphy had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Andrew Murphy's current disclosures- Medial femoral collateral ligament
- Tibial collateral ligament
- Superficial MCL (sMCL)
- Superficial medial collateral ligament
- Deep MCL (dMCL)
- Deep medial collateral ligament
- Vertical component of the MCL
- Certical component of the medial collateral ligament
- Mid-third capsular ligament
- MCL of the knee
- MCL of knee
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) of the knee is a flat, triangular band on its medial aspect that resists valgus forces. It forms part of the medial capsuloligamentous complex of the knee.
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Gross anatomy
The medial collateral ligament measures 8-10 cm in length and has superficial and deep portions 4.
Superficial MCL
The superficial MCL, also known as a tibial collateral ligament or vertical component of the MCL, is part of the middle layer of the medial capsuloligamentous complex of the knee. Its proximal attachment is the posterosuperior aspect of the medial femoral epicondyle, anteroinferior to the adductor tubercle. Distally it has two insertion sites (proximal and distal) at the upper medial surface of the tibia 1-5:
anterior band of the semimembranosus tendon (principally a soft tissue attachment)
tibial periosteum posterior to the pes anserine attachment at the posteromedial crest of the tibia
The posterior aspect of the medial collateral ligament blends into the posterior oblique ligament and knee capsule.
Deep MCL
The deep MCL, also known as the mid-third capsular ligament, is part of the deep layer of the medial capsuloligamentous complex of the knee, and is a thickening of the medial joint capsule, and is divided into meniscofemoral and meniscotibial ligaments 4,5.
Arterial supply
branches of the superior and inferior genicular arteries 5
Innervation
medial articular nerve, a branch of the saphenous nerve 5
Related pathology
Quiz questions
References
- 1. Chummy S. Sinnatamby. Last's Anatomy. (2011) ISBN: 9780702033940 - Google Books
- 2. Susan Standring. Gray's Anatomy. (2015) ISBN: 9780702052309 - Google Books
- 3. Keith L. Moore, Arthur F. Dalley, A. M. R. Agur. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. (2013) ISBN: 9781451119459 - Google Books
- 4. Andrews K, Lu A, Mckean L, Ebraheim N. Review: Medial Collateral Ligament Injuries. Journal of Orthopaedics. 2017;14(4):550-4. doi:10.1016/j.jor.2017.07.017 - Pubmed
- 5. Hassebrock J, Gulbrandsen M, Asprey W, Makovicka J, Chhabra A. Knee Ligament Anatomy and Biomechanics. Sports Med Arthrosc. 2020;28(3):80-6. doi:10.1097/jsa.0000000000000279
Incoming Links
- Ultrasound of the knee
- Knee joint
- Reverse Segond fracture
- Tibiofemoral joint
- Pellegrini-Stieda lesion
- Stener-like lesion of the medial collateral ligament of the knee
- Avulsion injury
- Medical abbreviations and acronyms (M)
- Medial capsuloligamentous complex of the knee
- Knee radiograph (an approach)
- Lateral collateral ligament of the knee
- Medial patellofemoral ligament injury
- MRI of the knee (an approach)
- Ghost meniscus
- Kfuri and Schatzker classification of tibial plateau fractures
- Medial collateral ligament bursitis
- Medial patellar retinaculum
- Knee bursae
- Stieda fracture
- Medial collateral ligament bursa
- Stieda fracture
- Calcific tendinitis/tendinosis of the medial collateral ligament
- Kfuri and Schatzker classification of tibial plateau fractures
- Stener-like lesion of the superficial medial collateral ligament
- Lateral collateral ligament calcification - knee
- Concomitant complete tear of MCL and ACL avulsion fracture in right knee joint
- Osteochondral knee fracture due to pivot-shift injury
- Pes anserinus spur
- Slow flow vascular malformation - knee
- Pellegrini-Stieda lesion
- Knee ligaments (Gray's illustration)
- Calcific tendinitis of the medial collateral ligament (knee)
- Transient lateral patellar dislocation
- Pellegrini-Stieda lesion
- Multi-ligament injury of the knee
- Chondromalacia patellae
- Stieda fracture
- Lateral femoral notch sign - ACL tear
- Transient lateral patellar dislocation
- Medial collateral ligament ganglion cyst
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