While I am still waiting for some diagnostic imaging to inform me of what sort of knee injury I am currently dealing with, and the extent of it, I figure it doesn’t hurt to educate myself about all things knee-related. I’ve never done so much reading about the components of a knee in all of my years, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to better learn about the nature of our own bodies.
I’ve been told by a couple of different doctors and specialists at this point that I am likely dealing with either a meniscus, PCL or ACL injury. Most of these terms were foreign to me until I started reading about them, and I figured I would share some knowledge on the subject. The following information comes from my.clevelandclinic.org.
“There are four main ligaments in your knee. The two collateral ligaments are like straps on each side of your knee. They prevent your knee from moving side to side too much. The two cruciate ligaments are in the center of your knee. They keep your knee from shifting too far forward or backward. The ligaments of the knee are:
“Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Your PCL also connects your femur to your tibia, toward the back. It’s thicker and stronger than your ACL, so it’s less commonly subject to injury.
“Medial collateral ligament (MCL). Your MCL connects your thigh bone (femur) to your shin bone (tibia). Wide and flat, it gives stability to your inner knee.
“Lateral collateral ligament (LCL). Your LCL connects your femur to your smaller lower leg bone (fibula). Thinner and rounder than your MCL, it gives stability to your outside (lateral) knee.
“Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Your ACL connects your femur to your tibia, toward the front. It’s the most commonly injured knee ligament,” the web page states.
Check back tomorrow for more information about knees, of all things.
Photo by Adam Davis on Unsplash
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