Posterior cruciate ligament injury happens far less often than does injury to the knee's better known counterpart, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The posterior cruciate ligament and ACL help to hold your knee together. If either ligament is torn, you may experience pain, swelling and a feeling of instability. Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that attach one bone to another. The cruciate ligaments connect the thighbone (femur) to the shinbone (tibia). The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments form an "X" in the center of the knee. While a posterior cruciate ligament injury generally causes less pain, disability and knee instability than does an ACL tear, it can still sideline you for several weeks or months.
Signs and symptoms of a posterior cruciate ligament injury may include:
Pain: Mild to moderate pain in the knee can cause a slight limp or difficulty walking
Swelling: Knee swelling occurs rapidly, within hours of the injury
Instability: Your knee may feel loose, as if it's going to give way. Signs and symptoms can be so mild that you might not even notice anything wrong. Over time, the pain may worsen and your knee may feel more unstable. If other parts of the knee have also been injured, your signs and symptoms will likely be more severe.
The posterior cruciate ligament can tear if your shinbone is hit hard just below the knee or if you fall on a bent knee. These injuries are most common during:
A dashboard injury occurs when the driver's or passenger's bent knee slams against the dashboard, pushing in the shinbone just below the knee and causing the posterior cruciate ligament to tear.
Athletes in sports such as football and soccer may tear their posterior cruciate ligament when they fall on a bent knee with their foot pointed down. The shinbone hits the ground first and it moves backward. Being tackled when your knee is bent also can cause this injury.
In many cases, other structures within the knee — including other ligaments or cartilage — also are damaged when you experience a posterior cruciate ligament injury. Depending on how many of these structures were damaged, you may experience some long-term knee pain and instability. You may also be at higher risk of eventually developing arthritis in your affected knee.
During the physical examination, your orthopaedic surgeon may press on your knee to feel for injury, looseness or fluid in the joint from bleeding. He may move your knee, leg or foot in different directions and ask you to stand and walk to see if your knee stays in proper position. Your doctor will compare your injured leg with the healthy one to look for any sagging or abnormal movement in the knee or shinbone. In some cases, your doctor may suggest one or more of the following imaging tests:
While an X-ray can't detect ligament damage, it can reveal bone fractures. People with posterior cruciate ligament injuries sometimes experience avulsion fractures — in which a small chunk of bone, attached to the ligament, pulls away from the main bone
This painless procedure uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to create computer images of the soft tissues of your body. An MRI scan can clearly show a posterior cruciate ligament tear and determine if other knee ligaments or cartilage also are injured.
Treatment depends on the extent of your injury and whether it just happened or if you've had it for a while. In most cases, surgery isn't required
Over-the-counter pain relievers are given.
A physical therapist can teach you exercises that will help make your knee stronger and improve its function and stability. You may also need a knee brace or crutches during your rehabilitation
This procedure uses a syringe to remove fluid from the joint. Aspiration may be performed if you have significant swelling of the knee that interferes with the joint's range of motion and your ability to use your knee or leg muscles.
If your injury is severe — especially if it's combined with other torn knee ligaments, cartilage damage or a broken bone — you may need surgery to reconstruct the ligament. Surgery may also be considered if you have persistent episodes of knee instability despite appropriate rehabilitation. This surgery usually is performed arthroscopically by inserting a fiber-optic camera and long, slender surgical tools through several small incisions around the knee.
Website Designed By: Quick n Host
