Archive Of Standardized Exam Questions: ACL Injury

OVERVIEW

This page is dedicated to organizing various examples of standardized exam questions whose topic is ACL injury. While this may seem a odd practice, it is useful to see multiple examples of how ACL injury will be characterized on standardized exams (namely the boards and the shelf exams). This page is not meant to be used as a traditional question bank (as all of the answers will be the same), however seeing the classic “test” characterization for a topic is quite valuable.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS CONDITION (ON EXAMS)

When it comes to standardized exams, each topic has its own “code” marked by key buzzwords, lab findings, clues, etc. If you are well versed in this code you will be able to more quickly identify the condition that is being discussed, and get the right answer on the exam you are taking. Below is the “code” for ACL injury

  • Non-contact injury: sudden decelerations/pivoting injuries.
  • Knee swelling: often caused by hemoarthrosis
  • Increased anterior drawer test: excessive anterior motion of the tibia relative to the femur on the physical exam.
QUESTION EXAMPLES

Question # 1

A 13 year old female comes to the clinic for evaluation after hurting her right leg during a soccer game. She jumped to hit the ball with her head, and when she landed her leg twisted medially, and she heard an audible “pop” from her knee. After this incident, she is able to bear weight on her right leg, however she explains that it feels unstable and she is afraid it might “give out”. A physical exam of the knee shows moderate swelling. There is also increased anterior movement of the tibia relative to the femur on during stability testing of the knee. What type of injury does the patient likely have?

Explanation # 1

Increased movement on anterior drawer test = ACL injury

Question # 2

 

Explanation # 2

 

TESTABLE FACTS ABOUT THIS TOPIC (BEYOND ITS IDENTIFICATION)

Many questions on standardized exams go beyond simply recognizing the underlying topic. Often there are specific testable facts regarding some aspect of the topic’s pathophysiology/management/clinical implications that are commonly asked. Some of these are listed below:

  • Artery providing blood to ACL: middle geniculate artery. Damage to this artery causes hemoarthrosis/knee swelling

 

 

Page Updated: 07.09.2017