Posterolateral corner

The posterolateral corner of the knee is the region on the outer aspect, towards the back of the knee.

posterolateral corner
The anatomy of the posterolateral corner is complex, and repair of any damage remains the domain of only an expert surgeon.

 

The importance of the posterolateral corner

Important PLC structures include:

  • lateral meniscus
  • popliteus tendon
  • popliteofibular ligament
  • lateral collateral ligament
  • posterior cruciate ligament
  • arcuate ligament

Injuries are commonly impact in causation, especially if the knee is hyper-extended (bent backwards). Usually there is an associated injury to the anterior or posterior cruciate ligament (ACL or PCL), but repair of these ligament injuries may fail unless the surgeon addresses damage to other posterolateral corner structures.

Synonyms: 
PLC
-

Related Content

Multiligament instability of the knee

An overview of the types of multiligament instability seen in the knee.

Posterolateral corner - great threads on the bulletin board

This list points to discussions on the forum about the posterolateral corner.

Videos - Knee Dislocation: ACL Reconstruction - PCL Reconstruction / Reconstruction of posterolateral corner

Part 2d of a course by Dr Kevin Stone on Biologic Knee Replacement.

Options for damaged knee ligaments in biologic knee replacement

Part 1d of a course by Dr Kevin Stone on Biologic Knee Replacement.

Outcomes after posterolateral corner injury

Part 8 of a course by Dr Frank Noyes on Posterolateral corner injuries of the knee

Posterolateral corner injuries of the knee

Dr Frank Noyes of the Cincinnati Sportsmedicine and Orthopaedic Center in Cincinnati, Ohio brings you a structured course on the complex area of the posteolateral corner. Dr Noyes is one of the world's foremost knee surgeons, researcher and author of hundreds of leading publications of many topics to do with the knee.

Mechanism of injury of the posterolateral corner

Part 3 of a course by Dr Frank Noyes on Posterolateral corner injuries of the knee.

Pages

-

CLINICAL PUBLICATIONS

Current Concepts of Posterolateral Corner Injuries of the Knee. Shon O-J, Park J-W and Kim B-J. Knee Surg Relat Res. 2017 Dec; 29(4): 256–268.

Posterolateral Corner of the Knee: Current Concepts. Chahla J, Moatshe G, Dean CS and LaPrade RF. Arch Bone Jt Surg. 2016 Apr; 4(2): 97–103.

See also -