PCL Tears
What is the PCL?
The PCL ligament is the largest and strongest ligament in the knee and a primary knee stabilizer. It is located in the back of the knee. It is comprised of 2 bundles of fibers that work together to resist backward movement of the tibia (shinbone).
Tears are usually the result of trauma. These can occur after a car accidents, where a bent knee is forced into the dashboard during an auto accident. Injuries can also occur during sports. An isolated PCL tear can result from a direct blow to the knee or a fall on a bent knee. The highest incidence of PCL tears occurs in football, soccer, rugby, and skiing. Most PCL injuries are diagnosed in people aged 18-44 who suffer a sports injury, but people who perform manual labor that requires frequent squatting and heavy lifting are also at risk. Older adults can suffer a ligament injury due to normal wear and tear and from a previously undiagnosed PCL injury.
PCL injuries are much less common than tears to the anterior cruciate ligament, and injuries to the PCL often occur along with damage to other knee ligaments, bone, and knee cartilage. Tears may be acute from trauma or chronic. Chronic tears develop over time.
Tears are graded from mild to severe:
- Grade 1 is a partial tear or stretching of the PCL, but the knee remains stable
- Grade 2 is a partially torn ligament that is looser than a grade 1 tear
- Grade 3 is a complete tear of the PCL and causes knee instability
Most PCL tears are Grade 1 and have the potential to heal. When healed, the patient can often return to sport without knee instability.
The most common symptoms are sharp pain and swelling, knee stiffness that causes limping, and difficulty walking or putting weight on the damaged knee. Severe PCL tears can cause instability. Because PCL tears are often less painful and cause less instability than injury to the anterior cruciate ligament, they may be overlooked.
Knee surgeon, Dr. Daniel Kaplan, will ask how and when your knee was injured and your symptoms. He will examine the injured knee and perform range of motion tests testing normal knee movements. He will order X-rays to view the bones to detect damage caused by the ligament pulling off the bone. These may include special stress x-rays of the knee. An MRI will be ordered to identify the size and location of the tear.
Schedule an orthopedics consultation today.
If you’ve suffered a PCL tear, schedule an orthopedic consultation today with Brooklyn’s leading knee surgeon, Dr. Daniel Kaplan. Dr. Kaplan is an Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan and Brooklyn. He is also the chief of sports medicine at Bellevue Hospital and the chief of sports medicine at the VA hospital in Manhattan. He is a Sports Medicine and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in diagnosing and treating knee conditions. You’re in expert hands.
At a Glance
Dr. Daniel Kaplan
- Fellowship-trained Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgeon
- Expertise in Complex Shoulder Hip and Knee minimally-invasive reconstruction procedures
- Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU
- Learn more
