Summary

Acute athletic knee injuries are often caused by a combination of valgus impact with external rotation of the tibia leading to a triad of injuries involving medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligament disruption with associated meniscal damage. This injury pattern has been greatly discussed in the literature with conflicts of opinion and evidence as to whether medial or lateral meniscal pathology has a higher incidence. This case report introduces a 17-year-old male athlete with this unhappy triad It will evaluate the clinical assessment which suggested a medial meniscal lesion follow the patient through arthroscopy revealing a lateral meniscal tear in addition to complete anterior cruciate ligament rupture and grade 2 medial collateral ligament tear. It will go on to look at the evidence base for the relative incidence of lateral and medial meniscal injuries and will evaluate the role of MRI in assessing acute athletic knee injuries.