Acute Care Lab Krzyzanowicz-Spring ‘10

 Femur ◦ Main upper leg bone (thigh bone)  Tibia ◦ Main weight lower leg bone  Medial malleolus comes off of this  Mensici sit on the tibia  Fibula ◦ Non-weight bearing bone on the lateral aspect of the leg  Lateral malleolus comes off of this

 Joint capsule ◦ Protects the ligaments inside  Peanut shell protecting the peanut inside  Can sprain/injure the capsule  Cruciate Ligaments ◦ Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)  Limits anterior movement of the tibia as well as rotation ◦ Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)  Limits posterior movement of the tibia as well as rotation ◦ Both inside the joint capsule

ACL injuryPCL injury

 Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) ◦ On the medial aspect of the knee  Prevents valgus force of the knee  Most often sprained ligament  Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) ◦ On the lateral aspect of the knee  Prevents varus force of the knee  More difficult to sprain than MCL  Meniscus ◦ Help provide cushion for the joint ◦ Fairly common to injure

Collateral ligamentsMeniscus

 Standing, knee in about 30 degrees of flexion ◦ Two anchors about mid-thigh ◦ Two anchors about mid-calf ◦ Create a fan (elastic tape)  Places one strip down center of joint  Places one strip from anterior leg, crossing joint  Places one strip from posterior leg, crossing joint  All pulling distal to proximal  Anchor after every strip  May need to repeat elastic tape strips, if not tight enough

 Standing-knee flexed to about 30 degrees ◦ Two anchor strips mid-thigh ◦ Two anchor strips mid-calf  Heel-lace pad in the popliteal fossa (prevents irritation) ◦ Elastic strip down the middle of the knee ◦ Elastic strip from lateral knee crossing the joint ◦ Elastic strip from medial knee crossing the joint  Anchor strips after each piece of tape  Pull distal to proximal  May need to repeat elastic strips to prevent hyperextension

 Used to prevent excessive movement of the patella ◦ Very expensive tape ◦ First must determine which way the patella is moving  Chose the correct taping method to correct the problem

 Place cover roll over the patella ◦ Places a piece of leukotape over mid-patella and pulls medially-to the femoral condyle ◦ Places leukotape over lateral border of patella and pulls medially to medial femoral condyle ◦ Corrects any rotations that may be occurring  Place leukotape over mid-patella and pull to opposite shoulder of the rotation  May not need to do this steps  Repeats any steps above if needed