earticle

영어

It is well known that the anterolateral ligament (ALL) and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) have limited internal rotation (IR). The LCL also has limited external rotation (ER). Many researchers have described that the medial collateral ligament (MCL) has limited ER as well. The purpose of this study was to measure thickness changes using ultrasonography (US) to identify the roles of the ALL, LCL, and MCL according to knee flexion angle and rotation. Twenty young healthy male and female subjects were recruited for this experiment. The participants had no surgical or neurological lesions of the knee joint. Measurements of the ALL, LCL, and MCL of the right knee were taken using only US. The postures were IR at knee flexion of 60°, 90°, and 120° as well as ER at knee flexion of 60°, 90°, and 120°. The ALL, LCL, and MCL measurements differed significantly according to rotation (p < 0.01). The ALL and LCL measurements differed significantly according to knee flexion (p < 0.01, p < 0.05). The ALL measurements of IR and ER differed significantly between 60° and 120° of flexion. Additionally, the IR and ER of the LCL at 60° and 90° of flexion were significantly different, while the ER was significantly different at 90° and 120° of flexion (p < 00.05). All the ALL and LCL measurements were correlated. We found that the thickness of the ALL and LCL decreased more in IR than in ER as knee flexion angle increased. In other words, the IR of the ALL was limited to a greater degree than the ER as knee flexion angle increased. The MCL thickness decreased more in ER than in IR but was not dependent on knee flexion angle; thus, the ER of the MCL was more limited than the IR. In addition, changes in the ALL and LCL thicknesses were correlated with both, knee flexion angle and rotation. Our findings suggest that clinicians should consider the characteristics of the ALL when planning rehabilitation strategies.