Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

What is a cruciate ligament injury? The knee can be thought of as having four ligaments holding it in place, one at each side to stop the bones sliding sideways and two crossing over in the middle to stop the bones sliding forwards and backwards. It is the latter two in the middle that are called the cruciate ligaments, the posterior (meaning back) stops the knee from bending back the wrong way. How is the ligament injured? The posterior cruciate ligament is injured through hyperextension of the knee or bending it backwards. If you have jarred the knee, or had someone land on top of a straight leg then the posterior cruciate may be damaged. If you have injured the joint recently and there is a lot of swelling then you should see a professional immediately and not poke it about yourself! What are the symptoms? Pain at the time of impact which dies away afterwards. Swelling. If the swelling comes on rapidly then it could be caused by bleeding within the joint. In the later stages when the swelling has decreased there may be instability in the joint. Pain when the posterior cruciate ligament is stressed by gently bending it the wrong way (see opposite). What can the athlete do? Apply RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) Use crutches if necessary. See a sports injury professional. What can a professional do? Confirm the diagnosis. Give a strength training programme to maintain strength in the leg muscles. Apply a support bandage or a plaster cast. Aspirate the joint (suck some fluid out to see if it is blood or not). Operate if necessary. Advise on full rehabilitation. Old ligament injuries An old ligament injury can often cause problems by reoccurring. After resting the injury might have settled down only for it to return when you go back to sport. What can the athlete do? Rest and hope it heals. See a professional for advice on full rehabilitation. What can a professional do? X-ray the joint with a contrast medium to assess damage. Do an arthroscopy (have a look inside) to see what is really going on. A surgeon can also reconstruct a damaged ligament.             The information contained on this site is purely a source of information and can at no time replace the expert eye of a qualified professional. We recommend seeking professional advice before embarking on any form of self treatment. Neither the content or nor any other service provided through mybesttennis.com is intended to be relied on for medical diagnosis or treatment. Never delay in seeking professional advice because of something seen on mybesttennis.com.