Cross sectional area of the Quadriceps muscle, dynamic and static strength and endurance were measured before and after treatment of Medial Collateral ligament injury in one knee of 84 young male soccer players. Immobilization alone in Plaster of Paris caused pronounced decrease in muscle size (25%) and dynamic (30%) as well as static (43%) strength whereas only minimal changes were found in the endurance of the muscle. Surgical intervention on the ligament prior to immobilization caused a quantitative but no qualitative deterioration. No protective effect could be found of intensive Quadriceps settings nor of indirect electrical stimulation with 10 Hz or 50 Hz. The importance of intact function of the Medial Collateral Ligament of the human knee is revealed by a significant reduction (up to 35%) in the isokinetic peak torque, of the injured leg, whereas the endurance of the Quadriceps muscled seems unaffected. The size of the muscle seems correlated to the dynamic strength and endurance but not directly to the static strength. Symmetry in muscular strength between the thighs of soccer players was found despite their preference of legs for "kicking". It is concluded that acute lesion of a Medial Collateral knee ligament and the subsequent surgical or conservative treatment induce profound reduction in size especially in the dynamic function of the human Quadriceps muscle.

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