What should you avoid with a PCL injury?

Hyperextension of the knee and posterior tibial translation should be avoided during this initial phase. Immediately after injury, it is common to have swelling, generalized knee pain, and loss of motion.

How long does a minor PCL tear take to heal?

If your injury is mild, it may only take about 10 days to heal. If you’ve had surgery to repair your PCL, recovery could take about six to nine months.

How do you strengthen your PCL ligament?

Knee flexion with heel slide

Lie on your back with your knees bent.
Slide your heel back by bending your affected knee as far as you can. Then hook your other foot around your ankle to help pull your heel even farther back.
Hold for about 6 seconds, then rest for up to 10 seconds.
Repeat 8 to 12 times.

What is the most common cause of posterior cruciate ligament PCL injury?

These injuries are most common during: Motor vehicle accidents. A “dashboard injury” occurs when the driver’s or passenger’s bent knee slams against the dashboard, pushing in the shinbone just below the knee and causing the posterior cruciate ligament to tear.

Where do you ice a PCL injury?

Rest your leg and avoid putting weight on it. Ice your knee for 20 minutes at a time, 3 to 4 times a day. Compress the area by wrapping it with an elastic bandage or compression wrap.

How do you heal PCL?

Nonsurgical Treatment of Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Using crutches at first, then gradually walking with more weight on the knee.
Having a machine or therapist move your leg through its range of motion.
Temporarily wearing a knee brace for support.
Strengthening your thigh muscles to help make the knee more stable.

Can PCL 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.

Can a complete PCL tear heal itself?

What does PCL pain feel like?

People who have injured the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) of the knee often report a combination of the following symptoms: Sharp or dull pain around the back of the knee. This can occur immediately or develop in the hours or days after the injury. Swelling.