A Comparative Biomechanical Study of Alternative Medial Collateral Ligament Reconstruction Techniques.

Background: There is little evidence of the biomechanical performance of medial collateral ligament (MCL) reconstructions for restoring stability to the MCL-deficient knee regarding valgus, external rotation (ER), and anteromedial rotatory instability (AMRI).

Hypothesis: A short isometric reconstruction will better restore stability than a longer superficial MCL (sMCL) reconstruction, and an additional deep MCL (dMCL) graft will better control ER and AMRI than single-strand reconstructions.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Experimental testing and finite element method analysis of the anterior cruciate ligament primary repair with internal brace augmentation.

The internal brace (IB) technique is a promising treatment option for repairing the proximal rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). This paper presents a biomechanical evaluation of the IB technique. Sixteen cadaveric sheep knees underwent monotonic tensile tests, cyclic loading, and passive flexion-extension testing.