Tibial collateral ligament

The tibial collateral ligament of the knee (medial collateral ligament knee), is a broad, flat, membranous band, situated nearer to the back than to the front of the joint. It is attached, above, to the medial condyle of the femur immediately below the adductor tubercle; below, to the medial condyle and medial surface of the body of the tibia.

It consists of two main components: the superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) and the deep medial collateral ligament (dMCL).

• The superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL; Superficial part of tibial collateral ligament) is the larger and more prominent part of the TCL. It originates from the medial epicondyle of the femur, approximately 3.2 mm proximal and 4.8 mm posterior to the medial epicondyle. The sMCL has two distinct tibial attachments: a proximal attachment located about 42 mm below the tibial plateau and a distal attachment approximately 61.2 mm distal to the knee joint. The sMCL is near-isometric, meaning it maintains a relatively constant length throughout the range of knee motion.[1-3]

• The deep medial collateral ligament (dMCL; Deep part of tibial collateral ligament) is smaller and lies beneath the sMCL. It has two portions: the meniscofemoral and meniscotibial ligaments. The femoral attachment of the dMCL is located 6 mm distal and 5 mm posterior to the medial epicondyle. The tibial attachment of the dMCL is broad, fanning out anterodistally to a wide area 8 mm below the tibial plateau.[2]