What causes a PCL tear?

The main cause of PCL injury is severe trauma to the knee joint. Often, other ligaments in the knee are affected as well. One cause specific to PCL injury is hyperextension of the knee. This can occur during athletic movements like jumping.

How do you know if you tore your PCL?

Symptoms of Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Tears

• Sharp or dull pain around the back of the knee.
• Swelling.
• Stiffness.
• Difficulty bearing weight.
• Knee instability.
• The back of the knee may be warm to the touch.
• Tenderness around the knee joint.
• Knee tingling or numbness.

How hard is it to tear your PCL?

Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect bones. The PCL — similar to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) — connects the thigh bone (femur) to your shin bone (tibia). Although it is larger and stronger than the ACL, the PCL can be torn. PCL tears make up less than 20\% of injuries to knee ligaments.

Can a PCL tear heal itself?

PCL injuries are usually partial ligament tears, and typically heal on their own, without causing stability issues, so long as the knee is protected during healing, and there are no other knee joint injuries.

What torn PCL feels like?

When the PCL is torn, active patients may develop a feeling of knee instability or pain. This instability or pain may limit an active lifestyle and may cause injury to other structures of the knee. Injury to the PCL is much less common than injury to the ACL, the anterior cruciate ligament.

Can you walk on a torn PCL?

It depends. In mild cases, people may still be able to walk and their symptoms may be less noticeable. However, many people have difficulty walking after a PCL injury — especially if the damage is severe.

How do you check for a torn PCL?

In the “posterior drawer test,” the doctor pushes the shin back while the knee is bent 90 degrees. If the tibia gives more than 5 millimeters, the PCL is likely torn. Your doctor may also perform other tests to help determine whether the ligament is fully torn, partially torn or simply sprained.

What is a grade 3 PCL tear?

Grade 3 (severe)-The PCL is completely torn or is separated at its end from the bone that it normally anchors. At this point the knee is very unstable and cannot bear your body weight.