Dashboard Knee: Injury Mechanisms, Diagnostic Challenges, and Treatment Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Trauma care
• Sports medicine

Background:

• Frontal motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are a common cause of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries.
• Dashboard knee injuries may present subtly but can lead to long-term pain and instability.
• Optimal early management strategies for PCL injuries from MVCs require further characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare early recovery patterns and short-term outcomes of surgical versus conservative management for PCL injuries sustained in frontal MVCs.
• To evaluate patient-reported pain scores following different treatment modalities.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series of 10 patients with MRI-confirmed PCL injury from frontal MVCs.
• Five patients underwent arthroscopic PCL reconstruction; five were managed conservatively with physiotherapy.
• Patient-reported pain scores were collected at 4, 8, and 12 weeks post-treatment.

Main Results:

• Nine of 10 patients showed progressive pain improvement over 12 weeks.
• Surgically treated patients had lower cumulative pain scores (average 8/18) compared to conservative management (average 13/18).
• Conservative group reported longer symptom duration, increased stiffness, and persistent swelling.

Conclusions:

• Both surgical and conservative approaches improved PCL injuries from dashboard mechanisms.
• Surgical intervention was associated with greater early pain reduction in this cohort.
• Early recognition and surgical reconstruction may offer improved short-term symptom relief for selected patients.