Skip to content 
PCL Tear Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options Near You in New Jersey
If you’ve recently experienced a traumatic injury and are dealing with pain in the back of your knee, it may be due to a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tear. At Interventional Spine & Surgery Group, our multidisciplinary team provides a wide variety of treatments, including PCL tear treatments, near you in central and northern New Jersey. We prioritize fast access to care to help you get better, sooner. Learn more about PCL tears, their symptoms, how they’re diagnosed, and what you can expect for treatment.
Key Takeaways
- The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is located at the back of the knee. A PCL tear happens when this ligament gets stretched or ruptured.
- Symptoms of a PCL tear include mild-to-moderate knee pain, especially at the back of the knee, knee instability, swelling, stiffness, a reduced range of motion, and trouble walking normally or using stairs.
- There are four grades of PCL tears, ranging from I to IV. Grade I and II tears are mild and moderate, while Grade III and IV tears are severe.
- PCL tears can often be treated with conservative treatments like physical therapy and bracing, although severe tears frequently require surgery.
- Interventional Spine & Surgery Group provides fast access to orthopedic services, including PCL tear treatments, for patients in Central and Northern New Jersey.
Understanding PCL Tears: Causes, Symptoms, Grades, and Treatments
The PCL is one of the four major ligaments that stabilize the knee joint. Located in the back of the knee, the PCL connects the thigh bone to the shin bone and prevents the shin bone from sliding too far backward. A PCL tear is an injury that occurs when this ligament gets stretched or ruptured. The PCL has a strong blood supply, so many PCL tears can heal with conservative treatments.
What Are the Causes of PCL Tears?
PCL tears are typically caused by high-energy trauma or athletic impacts, mainly through three physical mechanisms: a direct blow to the front of the shin with a bent knee, a hard fall on a flexed knee, or a severe overextension of the knee joint. These mechanisms can happen in a few ways:
- Motor vehicle accidents: When a person gets into a car accident, their bent knee can hit the dashboard and drive the shinbone backward. This causes posterior tibial translation, which forces the shinbone to slide too far back from the thighbone, tearing the ligament. It is often referred to as a dashboard injury.
- Contact sports: People who participate in high-impact sports that involve tackles or collisions, such as football, soccer, rugby, or skiing, may experience direct impacts, falls, collisions, or hyperextensions, all of which can pull the ligament away from the bone, tearing it.
- Falls: When a person falls forward and lands directly on the front of their bent knee, it is known as hyperflexion. The knee bends backward past its limit, which can rupture the ligament.
Some people may be more likely to experience PCL tears. They include individuals who participate in contact sports, people with previous knee damage or muscle weakness, or older adults who have degenerating joints.
What Are the Symptoms of PCL Tears?
Symptoms of a PCL tear can often be mild or vague, so the damage can go unnoticed at first. However, when they do appear, common symptoms include:
- Mild-to-moderate knee pain, especially at the back of the knee or deep inside it
- Swelling that appears shortly after the injury
- A feeling of instability in the knee
- Stiffness and reduced range of motion
- Difficulty walking normally or using stairs
If you’re experiencing these symptoms after a fall, car accident, or other trauma, it’s important to get evaluated by a doctor to see whether a PCL tear may be the cause.
What Are the Grades of PCL Tears?
When a PCL tear is diagnosed, it is given a grade, which classifies the injury based on its severity. Doctors use the grades to determine the best treatment plan. There are four grades:
- Grade I: This grade refers to a partial tear, where the ligament is stretched slightly but is still functional.
- Grade II: This grade is a more severe partial tear, where the ligament is not completely severed, but it is loose.
- Grade III: This grade is when the ligament is completely torn and does not involve any other ligaments.
- Grade IV: This grade refers to a complete PCL tear that involves damage to other surrounding knee ligaments, such as the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) or the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Grade I and II tears can often be treated with non-surgical treatment methods like bracing and physical therapy, while Grade III and IV tears often require surgical treatment.
| Grade | Severity | Symptoms | Treatments | Surgery required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade I | Mild |
|
| Almost never |
| Grade II | Moderate |
|
| Rarely |
| Grade III | Severe |
|
| Sometimes, if other ligaments are damaged or there is consistent instability |
| Grade IV | Severe |
|
| Usually |
How Are PCL Tears Diagnosed?
To formally diagnose a PCL tear, doctors will perform a thorough diagnostic process to confirm if a torn PCL is the cause of the patient’s symptoms. The process typically includes:
- Physical exam: During a physical exam, the doctor will examine the knee joint to test its laxity, or how loose the ligaments and tissues feel. They often use orthopedic tests, such as the posterior drawer test, the posterior sag sign, and the quadriceps active test, to look for physical signs of a tear.
- Imaging scans: To visualize the ligament and identify a tear, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are used. They provide strong visualization of soft tissues, letting doctors confirm the severity of the tear and its exact location. X-rays may also be ordered to rule out other potential causes, such as fractures.
Using the information gathered from the physical exam and imaging scans, a diagnosis of a PCL tear will be confirmed or ruled out.
What Are the Non-Surgical Treatment Options for PCL Tears?
Many PCL tears can be treated non-surgically, especially isolated Grade I and II tears. Commonly used conservative treatments include:
- R.I.C.E. protocol: Immediately after a PCL tear, patients should use the rest, ice, compression, elevation (R.I.C.E. protocol). This involves limiting sports or intense movements, icing the knee, wearing a soft elastic bandage, and elevating the leg above the heart level. It helps control pain and swelling in the first 48 to 72 hours post-injury.
- Bracing: To protect the ligament while it heals, a specialized brace called a dynamic PCL brace is worn to keep the shin bone in place and stop it from sagging backward. Crutches may also be used to keep weight off the injured leg.
- Physical therapy: Targeted exercises are used to build the quadricep muscles and improve balance, which supports knee stability and strength and helps prevent re-injury.
Over-the-counter pain relievers can also be used to help decrease pain and swelling. If the tear is isolated and doesn’t involve other ligaments, these treatments are often effective enough to heal the PCL.
What Are the Surgical Treatment Options for PCL Tears?
When a PCL tear is severe, combines other ligament injuries, or causes lasting instability, surgical treatment is often necessary. The most common surgical procedure is called PCL reconstruction, which involves replacing the torn ligament with a tissue graft. The graft can be taken from another part of the patient’s body (autograft) or sourced from a donor (allograft). There are three main techniques used for PCL reconstruction:
- Single-bundle reconstruction, which replaces the main part of the PCL with a single tissue graft
- Double-bundle reconstruction, which replicates the two separate bundles of the PCL for greater stability
- Tibial inlay open surgery, which attaches the graft on the back of the tibia with a bone block to reduce graft wear
After PCL reconstruction, patients often must wear a specialized knee brace and use crutches for five to six weeks. They also must attend consistent physical therapy within a few weeks of the surgery. It can take anywhere from six to 12 months to fully recover.
Find Fast PCL Tear Treatment Near You in New Jersey
When you experience knee trauma and need diagnosis and treatment fast, turn to Interventional Spine & Surgery Group. Our orthopedic procedures are provided by Dr. Deramo, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who is passionate about helping patients feel better without waiting weeks or months for an appointment. Here, we can see you now, we care, and we’ll help you get better. To learn more about PCL tears or to schedule an appointment near you in central or northern New Jersey, contact us today.
Frequently Asked Questions About PCL Tears
What is a PCL tear?
A posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tear is an injury that occurs when this knee ligament gets stretched or ruptured.
How do you know if you tore your PCL?
Signs of a PCL tear include mild-to-moderate knee pain, especially at the back of the knee, swelling, knee instability, stiffness, limited range of motion, and difficulty walking normally or using stairs.
Can a PCL tear heal without surgery?
Yes, isolated PCL tears can often heal without surgery because the PCL has a strong blood supply that promotes healing.
How long does PCL recovery take?
It depends on the grade of the tear. Grades I and II tears that don’t require surgery can heal in two to six weeks. Grade III and IV tears that require reconstructive surgery take six to 12 months for full recovery.
What is the difference between a PCL tear and an ACL tear?
The difference between a PCL tear and an ACL tear is the ligament where the tear occurs. PCL tears affect the posterior cruciate ligament at the back of the knee, while ACL tears affect the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at the front of the knee.
What grade of PCL tear requires surgery?
Typically, Grade IV tears require surgery. However, Grade III tears can also require surgery if the patient has ongoing knee instability, combined damage to other knee ligaments, or is active and hasn’t seen results from conservative treatment.
Can you walk with a PCL tear?
Yes, many people can walk with a PCL tear, but it can cause pain, a feeling of instability, and a limp. Walking downhill or on stairs can be especially difficult.
What exercises help PCL recovery?
Some exercises that help PCL recovery include quad sets, straight leg raises, and partial squats. They’re best performed under guidance from a physical therapist to ensure they’re being done properly.
