PCL Injuries

PCL Injuries

What are Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries?

Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), one of four major ligaments of the knee, is situated at the back of the knee. It connects the thighbone (femur) to the shinbone (tibia). The PCL limits the backward motion of the shinbone.

PCL injuries are very rare and are more difficult to detect than other knee ligament injuries. Cartilage injuries, bone bruises, and ligament injuries often occur in combination with PCL injuries. Injuries to the PCL can be graded as I, II or III depending on the severity of injury. In grade I, the ligament is mildly damaged and slightly stretched, but the knee joint is stable. In grade II, there is partial tear of the ligament. In grade III, there is complete tear of the ligament and the ligament is divided into two halves making the knee joint unstable.

Causes of PCL Injuries


Symptoms of PCL Injuries


Diagnosis of PCL Injuries


Treatment of PCL Injuries



Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Children

Posterior cruciate ligament injuries most often occur in children who participate in high-speed sports, such as basketball and soccer. These injuries occur more commonly in teenagers than in younger children. Often, in children younger than the age of 12, the bone where the PCL attaches breaks off. As PCL injuries commonly occur through traffic and industrial accidents, the incidence of these injuries is very low in children.

Surgery is not usually necessary to treat PCL injuries, but if an injury displaces the piece of bone with the PCL, your child may require surgery to reattach it.

The outcome of the treatment is dependent on age factor. Younger children may develop arthritis symptoms later in their life if surgical treatment is not given. In adults, surgery involves PCL reconstruction, however, in children this surgery is still under controversy because of a risk of developing physeal (growth plate) injury. Growth plate, also called as the epiphyseal plate or physis, is the area of growing tissue made up of cartilage (rubbery material) found at the ends of the long bones in children.