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Pathomechanical and Clinical Concepts of the Pivot Shift Phenomenon

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Abstract

With recent advances in our understanding of the diagnosis, pathoanatomy, and pathomechanics of ligamentous knee injuries, the pivot shift sign continues to be an important clinical and conceptual entity. Though it was observed some 50 years ago, the sign is most commonly associated with the names of Macintosh and Galway and their excellent description published in 1972 (Galway et al. 1972). The pivot shift was a source of controversy in the early 1970s, and 4 years passed before the sign and its importance became generally acknowledged. This was a time in which our knowledge of the biomechanics of the knee was expanded through the work of O’Donoghue, Slocum, Hughston, Kennedy, Trillat, and others. In the present chapter we shall explore the history, clinical presentation, and pathology of the pivot shift phenomenon, and we shall propose recommendations for treatment.

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© 1992 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Jakob, R.P., Stäubli, HU. (1992). Pathomechanical and Clinical Concepts of the Pivot Shift Phenomenon. In: Jakob, R.P., Stäubli, HU. (eds) The Knee and the Cruciate Ligaments. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84463-8_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84463-8_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-84465-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-84463-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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