Assessment of Static Steadiness and Dynamic Stability at Various Stages of Healing of a Grade 2 Medial Collateral Ligament Tear: A Case Report

• Main Authors: Kaycee Glattke, Michael Smith, Toshiki Tsuchiya, Jakob Wells, Thurmon Lockhart
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Sci
• Subjects: biomechanics; dynamic stability; inertial measurement unit; medial collateral ligament; static stability
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2413-4155/3/2/21

Injuries to ligaments of the knee are extremely common among athletes who participate in high-risk sports or any sport that requires frequent cutting motions, jumping, or contact. In order to determine the best way to heal these injuries, it is important to understand not just the pathology of the injury but also the biomechanical factors that are affected, including stability and steadiness. While many studies have been conducted to examine the stability of healthy knees, there is little to no existing literature on stability of knees afflicted by injury. In order to surpass this obstacle, static steadiness and dynamic stability data were collected using the Lockhart Monitor phone application and Xsens accelerometers, respectively, both before and after completion of a course of physical therapy in a subject with a grade 2 medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear. These results were then used to determine the degree to which the prescribed physical therapy protocol was effective in healing the MCL, which can be useful for adjusting the individual protocol for future conservative treatment and management of the injury.