Sports Medicine

PCL Tear

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Treatment

Isolated PCL tears are usually treated with rehabilitation rather than surgery. However, your doctor may recommend surgery if you have other ligament injuries along with the tear. The surgical procedure usually will reconstruct your PCL using a graft from another part of your body (called an autograft) or a cadaver (called an allograft). The graft serves as a scaffold for the PCL reconstruction, and the type of graft used is based on patient and surgeon preference.

Although the decision to have surgery is often a personal choice, factors such as age, physical condition and athletic goals will help you and your doctor determine the best treatment for your situation. People who are not very active may choose an exercise-strengthening program instead of surgery, since the injury is not likely to interfere with their daily activities. It can take up to six months to complete this type of program.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007