Prospective cohort study of 100 ACL reconstruction patients correlating injury mechanism (noncontact vs. contact) with MRI bone bruise patterns — characterizing differences in bruise frequency, location, depth, and intensity across both knee compartments.
When you see severe, bilateral (lateral and medial) posterior tibial plateau bone bruising on MRI after an ACL tear, think noncontact mechanism — the pattern reflects anterior tibial translation with internal rotation, not just valgus.
Don't anchor on lateral-only bruising as the expected finding; significant medial compartment edema is common and signals greater overall energy transfer, which may affect acute pain, recovery of motion, and timing to reconstruction.
Prospective cohort study of 100 ACL reconstruction patients correlating injury mechanism (noncontact vs. contact) with MRI bone bruise patterns — characterizing differences in bruise frequency, location, depth, and intensity across both knee compartments.
When you see severe, bilateral (lateral and medial) posterior tibial plateau bone bruising on MRI after an ACL tear, think noncontact mechanism — the pattern reflects anterior tibial translation with internal rotation, not just valgus.
Don't anchor on lateral-only bruising as the expected finding; significant medial compartment edema is common and signals greater overall energy transfer, which may affect acute pain, recovery of motion, and timing to reconstruction.