Structure
Rounded, more narrow and less broad than the medial collateral ligament, the fibular collateral ligament stretches obliquely downward and backward from the lateral epicondyle of the femur above, to the head of the fibula below. In contrast to the medial collateral ligament, it is fused with neither the capsular ligament nor the lateral meniscus. Because of this, the lateral collateral ligament is more flexible than its medial counterpart, and is therefore less susceptible to injury.
Both collateral ligaments are taut when the knee joint is in extension. With the knee in flexion, the radius of curvatures of the condyles is decreased and the origin and insertions of the ligaments are brought closer together which make them lax. The pair of ligaments thus stabilize the knee joint in the coronal plane. Therefore damage and rupture of these ligaments can be diagnosed by examining the knee's mediolateral stability.
Immediately below its origin is the groove for the tendon of the Popliteus.
The greater part of its lateral surface is covered by the tendon of the Biceps femoris; the tendon, however, divides at its insertion into two parts, which are separated by the ligament.
Deep to the ligament are the tendon of the Popliteus, and the inferior lateral genicular vessels and nerve.
Read more about this topic: Fibular Collateral Ligament
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