Inside the knee there are 4 main ligaments. The medial and lateral collateral ligament which are on the sides of the knee and the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments which run up the middle of the knee. We often see footballers and netballers have a “knee reconstruction” and this will normally refer to the Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) but the posterior Cruciate ligament (PCL) can also be torn. This may occur in isolation or in combination with other ligaments or structures around the knee. Reconstruction of the PCL is a complex operation and is best performed by a specialist knee surgeon.
Sometimes a PCL injury can be treated without and operation or depending on the injury your surgeon may advise to have it treated either straight away or after a delay to see if it will heal by itself. The PCL may be repaired or reconstructed by using tissues from your body (autograft) such as your hamstring tendons or Patella tendon, using tissue from a cadaver (allograft), or with an artificial tissue such as the LARS ligament. The type of operation and tissue to be used should be discussed with your surgeon.
03 9882 7753
