The anterolateral ligament (ALL) is a

ligament A ligament is the fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to other bones. It is also known as ''articular ligament'', ''articular larua'', ''fibrous ligament'', or ''true ligament''. Other ligaments in the body include the: * Peritoneal li ...

on the

lateral Lateral is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Healthcare *Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction * Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle * Lateral release (surgery), a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap Phonetics *Lateral co ...

aspect of the human

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

, anterior to the

fibular collateral ligament The lateral collateral ligament (LCL, long external lateral ligament or fibular collateral ligament) is a ligament located on the lateral (outer) side of the knee, and thus belongs to the extrinsic knee ligaments and posterolateral corner of the k ...

. Perhaps the earliest account of the ALL was written by French surgeon

Paul Segond Paul Ferdinand Segond (8 May 1851 in Paris – 27 October 1912 in Paris) was a French surgeon who was a founder of obstetrics and the teaching of gynaecology in Paris. He was also an expert on the knee and described the eponymous Segond fr ...

in 1879, in which he described a ligamentous structure between the lateral femur and tibia. Claes and Bellemans (2013) found that the ALL originates at the

lateral epicondyle of the femur The lateral epicondyle of the femur, smaller and less prominent than the medial epicondyle, gives attachment to the fibular collateral ligament of the knee-joint. Directly below it is a small depression from which a smooth well-marked groove curv ...

, and inserts at the anterolateral aspect of the proximal

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

. However, Vincent et al. (2012) reported the origin to be the

lateral femoral condyle The lateral condyle is one of the two projections on the lower extremity of the femur. The other one is the medial condyle. The lateral condyle is the more prominent and is broader both in its front-to-back and transverse diameters. Clinical sign ...

Clinical relevance

The ALL, which has been suggested to occur in 33-97% of the human population, seems to stabilize

medial rotation Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relativ ...

of the knee. However, the anterior cruciate ligament is the most important contributor to rotatory knee stability. It is uncertain if an isolated anterolateral ligament injury with an intact anterior cruciate ligament injury leads to knee instability. This topic is being hotly debated and researched. The "pivot shift" phenomenon in

anterior cruciate ligament injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

patients may be ascribed to additional trauma to the ALL or other structures in the anterolateral knee. The

Segond fracture The Segond fracture is a type of avulsion fracture (soft tissue structures pulling off fragments of their bony attachment) from the lateral tibial plateau of the knee, immediately below the articular surface of the tibia (see photo). Clinical ...

is probably an avulsion of the anterolateral ligament. In such injuries, fragments of the lateral tibial condyle of the knee are torn from the bone by the soft tissue structures of the anterolateral knee.

References

External links

* – "Major Joints of the Lower Extremity: Knee Joint" * – "Superior view of the tibia." * – "Medial and lateral views of the knee joint and cruciate ligaments." * () {{DEFAULTSORT:Anterolateral ligament Knee ligaments