Theanterior cruciate ligament (ACL), sits just in front of the PCL.
The PCL is the ligament that prevents the tibia (shin bone) from sliding too far backward.
PCL Tears
The most common mechanism of injury of the PCL is the so-called “dashboard injury.
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“This shows up when the knee is bent, and an object forcefully strikes the shin backward.
PCL injuries are also commonly seen with severe trauma that can cause injury to many knee structures.
In addition, PCL injuries may be associated withmeniscus tearsand cartilage damage.
Often these more severe patterns of injury occur with aknee dislocation.
The major factor in making the diagnosis of a PCL tear is by knowing how the injury happened.
Specific maneuvers can test the function of the PCL.
It is common to find other ligament injuries or cartilage damage when a PCL tear is found.
Initial treatment of the pain and swelling consists ofthe use of crutches, ice, and elevation.
Once these symptoms have settled,physical therapyis beneficial to improve knee motion and strength.
Nonoperative treatment is recommended for most grade I and grade II PCL tears.
Surgical reconstruction of the PCL is controversial, and usually only recommended for grade III PCL tears.
Surgical PCL reconstruction is difficult in part because of the position of the PCL in the knee.
Vaquero-Picado A, Rodriguez-Merchan EC.Isolated posterior cruciate ligament tears: an update of management.EFORT Open Rev.
2017;2(4):8996.
