| Category | ACL & PCL |
ACL
An ACL injury is a tear or sprain of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) — one of the strong bands of tissue that help connect your thigh bone (femur) to your shinbone (tibia). ACL injuries most commonly occur during sports that involve sudden stops or changes in direction, jumping, and landings — such as soccer, basketball, football, and downhill skiing.
Many people hear a pop or feel a "popping" sensation in the knee when an ACL injury occurs. Your knee may swell, feel unstable and become too painful to bear weight.
Depending on the severity of your ACL injury, treatment may include rest and rehabilitation exercises to help you regain strength and stability, or surgery to replace the torn ligament followed by rehabilitation. A proper training program may help reduce the risk of an ACL injury.
PCL
Your posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) runs along the back of your knee and connects your thighbone to the top of your lower leg bone. This ligament keeps your bones in place and helps your knee move smoothly. When the PCL is sprained or torn, it’s called a posterior cruciate ligament injury. Posterior cruciate ligament injuries can happen to anyone, but they’re especially common among skiers and athletes who play baseball, football, or soccer.
PCL injuries usually occur with severe knee trauma. You may develop a problem with your PCL if you:
What are the symptoms of a posterior cruciate ligament injury?
People with PCL injuries may experience a wide range of symptoms, including:
Diagnosis can be suspected clinically with a traumatic knee effusion and increased laxity on a posterior drawer test but requires an MRI for confirmation. Treatment can be nonoperative or operative depending on the severity of injury to the PCL, as well as concomitant injuries to surrounding structures and ligaments in the knee.
