Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Tear
Posterior cruciate ligament tears are less common than ACL tears. It ruptures as a result of a full displacement of the knee, a major torsional injury, or a dashboard injury. Isolated PCL tear is rare and is accompanied by other ligament or meniscus injuries. In such a case, Kapadia Multispeciality Hospital offers you PCL reconstruction surgery under extreme care and guidance with 100% successful results. To know more visit us today!
Clinical Features
The patient complains of pain, swelling and tenderness at the back of the knee. The patient may also complain of instability and inability to run. Immediately after the injury there is swelling in the knee which usually subsides after rest and icing for about 3 weeks. A PCL tear causes posterior translation of the tibia (leg bone) over the femur (thigh bone) which causes the typical posterior sag sign.
Incision
PCL tear accounts for 3-4 percent of all knee ligament injuries.
Investigations
The physical examination alone can be used to diagnose, although testing may be necessary to exclude other reasons and assess the extent of the injury. These tests could consist of:
- X-RAY - To obviate a fractured bone. Nevertheless, soft structures like ligaments and tendons are not visible on x-rays.
- MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) – this is the gold standard investigation for all ligament tears in the knee. It not only shows the status of the PCL tear but also other ligament and meniscus injuries in the knee.
Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Tear
Posterior cruciate ligament tears are less common than ACL tears. It ruptures as a result of a full displacement of the knee, a major torsional injury, or a dashboard injury. Isolated PCL tear is rare and is accompanied by other ligament or meniscus injuries. In such a case, Kapadia Multispeciality Hospital offers you PCL reconstruction surgery under extreme care and guidance with 100% successful results. To know more visit us today!
Clinical Features
The patient complains of pain, swelling and tenderness at the back of the knee. The patient may also complain of instability and inability to run. Immediately after the injury there is swelling in the knee which usually subsides after rest and icing for about 3 weeks. A PCL tear causes posterior translation of the tibia (leg bone) over the femur (thigh bone) which causes the typical posterior sag sign.
Treatment
Conservative
Most Grade I and II PCL tears can be treated non-operatively. Isolated grade III PCL tears in a non-athlete may also be treated conservatively if the patient has no symptoms of instability and the activity level and physical demand of the patient is low.
Surgery
When the PCL injury is associated with either some other ligament or meniscus injury in the knee, or if the patient has symptoms of instability or the patient is a high-demand individual or an athlete, surgical intervention is warranted.
PCL reconstruction surgery is indicated in Grade III injuries with posterior translation > 10 mm. Reconstruction is done by using semitendinosus and gracilis which are hamstring tendons. Other graft options used for PCL reconstruction are bone patellar tendon bone, central quadriceps tendon, and peroneus longus tendon. PCL reconstruction surgery can be of 2 types. It can either be a single bundle reconstruction or a double bundle reconstruction.
Some PCL injuries are also associated with PLC injuries i.e. posterolateral corner injury and may require either a LaPrade or Larson reconstruction for the posterolateral corner.
Avulsion fractures of the PCL from the tibial end are also quite common. Fixation of the PCL avulsion fracture can be performed arthroscopically and is known as arthroscopic PCL fixation surgery.
To know more kindly contact the best orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Rahul Modi for further queries.
This surgery is frequently performed by the best orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Rahul Modi for treating PCL Reconstruction EDT.