Abstract
The oblique popliteal ligament is an important structure of the posterior aspect of the knee. It is historically described in several anatomical studies that investigated the posterior knee structures, but a unique denomination of the ligament was not adopted, until the definition and anatomical description provided by LaPrade and colleagues in 2007. The ligament originated from the posteromedial tibial plateau, with some fibers deriving from the semimembranous tendon, and the posteromedial capsule; the structure is headed superolaterally to the fabella or directly to the lateral gastrocnemius tendon on the posterosuperior aspect of the lateral femoral condyle, and blended to the posterolateral capsule. Although it is a well-defined ligament, great variability in the shape of the ligament and its attachments was described. Biomechanical studies advocated it is a primary restrainer of knee hyperextension, but its oblique orientation suggests a possible role in restraining tibial external rotation. Considering these biomechanical characteristics, it is possible to assume the oblique popliteal ligament involvement in knee ligament injuries, especially in the case of multiple-ligament knee injuries. However, an oblique popliteal ligament tear generally is not routinely evaluated, and no specific reconstruction technique has been developed yet.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Brantigan OC, Voshell AF. The mechanics of the ligaments and menisci of the knee joint. JBJS. 1941;23:44–66.
Dean RS, Graden NR, Kahat DH, DePhillipo NN, LaPrade RF. Treatment for symptomatic genu recurvatum: a systematic review. Orthop J Sports Med. 2020;8:2325967120944113.
Fam LPD, Fruheling VM, Pupim B, Ramos CH, de Moura MFA, Namba M, da Silva JLV, da Cunha LAM, de Oliveira Franco APG, Filho ES. Oblique popliteal ligament – an anatomical study. Rev Bras Ortop. 2013;48:402–5.
Geiger D, Chang E, Pathria M, Chung CB. Posterolateral and posteromedial corner injuries of the knee. Radiol Clin N Am. 2013;51:413–32.
Grassi A, Macchiarola L, Urrizola Barrientos F, Zicaro JP, Costa Paz M, Adravanti P, Dini F, Zaffagnini S. Steep posterior tibial slope, anterior tibial subluxation, deep posterior lateral femoral condyle, and meniscal deficiency are common findings in multiple anterior cruciate ligament failures: an MRI case-control study. am j sports med. 2019;47:285–95.
Halewood C, Amis AA. Clinically relevant biomechanics of the knee capsule and ligaments. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2015;23:2789–96.
Hefti F, Müller W, Jakob RP, Stäubli HU. Evaluation of knee ligament injuries with the IKDC form. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 1993;1:226–34.
Heyman CH. Operative treatment of paralytic genu recurvatum. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1947;29:644–9.
Hughes JD, Rauer T, Gibbs CM, Musahl V. Diagnosis and treatment of rotatory knee instability. J Exp Orthop. 2019;6:48.
Kim TW, Lee S, Yoon J-R, Han H-S, Lee MC. Proximal tibial anterior open-wedge oblique osteotomy: A novel technique to correct genu recurvatum. Knee. 2017;24:345–53.
Kittl C, Becker DK, Raschke MJ, Müller M, Wierer G, Domnick C, Glasbrenner J, Michel P, Herbort M. Dynamic restraints of the medial side of the knee: the semimembranosus corner revisited. Am J Sports Med. 2019;47:863–9.
LaPrade RF, Engebretsen AH, Ly TV, Johansen S, Wentorf FA, Engebretsen L. The anatomy of the medial part of the knee. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2007;89:2000–10.
LaPrade RF, Morgan PM, Wentorf FA, Johansen S, Engebretsen L. The anatomy of the posterior aspect of the knee. An anatomic study. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2007;89:758–64.
Lundquist RB, Matcuk GR, Schein AJ, Skalski MR, White EA, Forrester DM, Gottsegen CJ, Patel DB. Posteromedial corner of the knee: the neglected corner. Radiographics. 2015;35:1123–37.
Morgan PM, LaPrade RF, Wentorf FA, Cook JW, Bianco A. The role of the oblique popliteal ligament and other structures in preventing knee hyperextension. Am J Sports Med. 2010;38:550–7.
Ng JWG, Myint Y, Ali FM. Management of multiligament knee injuries. EFORT Open Rev. 2020;5:145–55.
Osti M, Tschann P, Künzel KH, Benedetto KP. Posterolateral corner of the knee: microsurgical analysis of anatomy and morphometry. Orthopedics. 2013;36:e1114–20.
Perry J, O’Brien JP, Hodgson AR. Triple tenodesis of the knee. A soft-tissue operation for the correction of paralytic genu recurvatum. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1976;58:978–85.
Robertson A, Nutton RW, Keating JF. Dislocation of the knee. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2006;88:706–11.
Sachs RA, Daniel DM, Stone ML, Garfein RF. Patellofemoral problems after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Am J Sports Med. 1989;17:760–5.
Sims WF, Jacobson KE. The posteromedial corner of the knee: medial-sided injury patterns revisited. Am J Sports Med. 2004;32:337–45.
Wu X-D, Yu J-H, Zou T, Wang W, LaPrade RF, Huang W, Sun S-Q. Anatomical characteristics and biomechanical properties of the oblique popliteal ligament. Sci Rep. 2017;7:42698.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Silvia Bassini for the graphical support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Zaffagnini, S., Agostinone, P., Pizza, N., Dal Fabbro, G., Grassi, A. (2024). Oblique Popliteal Ligament Injury. In: Espregueira-Mendes, J., Karlsson, J., Musahl, V., Ayeni, O.R. (eds) Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65430-6_44-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65430-6_44-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-65430-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-65430-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine