Contribution of posterolateral corner structures to knee joint translational and rotational stabilities: A computational study

It has been reported that posterolateral corner structures, including the lateral collateral ligament, the popliteus tendon, and the popliteofibular ligament, may play important roles in reducing external rotational and posterior translational instabilities. However, there are few studies focusing on the quantitative influence of posterolateral corner structures on knee joint stability, due to the difficulty of controlling experimental conditions. In this study, a knee model that included posterolateral corner structures was developed. It was validated by comparison to previous experimental studies using the posterior drawer test, dial test, and varus stress test. The posterior translation, external rotation, and varus rotation were then predicted in order to investigate the contribution of posterolateral corner structures to translational and rotational stabilities. Our results indicate that posterolateral corner structures, including the popliteofibular ligament and the popliteus tendon, could contribute to posterior translational and external rotational stabilities, as clinical observations had suggested. Therefore, the addition of posterolateral corner structures to knee joint models may improve the utility of such models.