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 injury
PCL 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 ligaments
Meniscus

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