Anterior arm of the distal semimembraneous complex isolated injury in a professional volleyball player: A case report

We present the case of a professional volleyball player, referred for posteromedial knee pain following a competition. MRI diagnosed an anterior arm of the semi-membraneous tendinitis associated with a semimembranosus-tibial collateral ligament bursitis. Some key points of the anatomy of the distal semimembranosus complex must be identified; five tendinous arms (including the anterior, or tibial arm) are to be seen with regard to the two synovial bursae associated. Indeed, a fluid distension of the semimembranosus-tibial collateral ligament, recently described, must be considered as a sentinel lesion and could turn the radiologist toward an injury of the distal semimembranosus complex. The physiopathological mechanism of the injury of the distal semimembranosus complex distinguishes two kinds of lesion: the tendinous overstressing and the hyperextension of the young and athletic subject will be responsible respectively for isolated tendinitis of the direct and reflected tendons. The tendinosis of the middle-aged subject will be secondary in repeated microtraumas.