Comparing Marcus Lattimore's Knee Injury to Willis McGahee's Knee Injury

I wrote last week about the knee injury Marcus Lattimore sustained during a recent game against Tennessee.  It has been reported that he tore all four knee ligaments, which will require extensive reconstruction, surgery, and rehabilitation.  This injury is very similar to one sustained by Willis McGahee almost 10 years ago, so I thought I would compare the two.

The mechanism of injury for both injuries is eerily similar.  As you can see, both of them are hit on the anterior aspect of the knee by a defender, in a very similar fashion.  Lattimore was also hit from behind, which probably contributed to him tearing all four knee ligaments.  McGahee tore his ACL, PCL, and MCL with his injury.  McGahee had to have his entire ACL reconstructed because it essentially tore in the middle and there was no hope for repair.  But, his PCL and MCL tore near their insertion into the bone, so instead of having to reconstruct those ligaments with a different piece of tissue, doctors were able to suture the ends back into the bone.  This was a bit of encouraging news for McGahee considering he tore 3 of his primary knee ligaments.

It is not known the exact location of the tears in the ligaments of Lattimore's knee.  More than likely, his ACL will require a complete reconstruction.  The location of the tear in the other ligaments will determine if a suture can be performed, such as in McGahee's case, or if those ligaments will be reconstructed as well.  The more complete tears that Lattimore has, the longer and more difficult has rehabilitation will be.  But, Willis McGahee has provided a very good blueprint for Lattimore and his sports medicine team to follow.