American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Certification Practice Exam

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Study for the ABIM Certification Exam. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions, with hints and explanations for each. Get ready to succeed!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

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Complete medial collateral ligament tears are often associated with which type of injury?

Direct lateral force
Direct valgus force
Overuse injury
Twisting motion

The correct answer is: Direct valgus force

Complete medial collateral ligament (MCL) tears are commonly associated with direct valgus forces applied to the knee. When a valgus force is applied, it pushes the knee joint laterally, putting significant stress on the medial structures, including the MCL. This type of injury often occurs during activities that involve sudden changes in direction, contact sports, or falls that lead to the knee collapsing inward. The other options represent different mechanisms of injury that typically do not result in isolated MCL tears. Direct lateral forces usually cause injuries to the lateral structures of the knee, overuse injuries often lead to chronic conditions rather than acute tears, and twisting motions can result in injuries to the ligaments of the knee, such as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), but they are not primarily responsible for complete tears of the medial collateral ligament.