What is PCL reconstruction surgery?

During a surgical posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction, your doctor removes the torn ligament. They reconstruct it with tissue taken from another part of your body or from a human donor. It can take several months for the graft to heal. The PCL is one of the four major ligaments in your knee.

When is PCL surgery necessary?

Generally, surgery is only recommended for those who have grade III PCL tears, multiple ligament injuries (such as a PCL and ACL tear), and knee instability that has not responded to nonsurgical treatment.

How painful is PCL surgery?

Here is what you can expect and how you can cope during the first days after PCL reconstruction surgery: You will likely feel pain or discomfort for the first few days. Take pain medications as your doctor advises. These could be over-the-counter painkillers, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, or stronger narcotic drugs.

How long is PCL reconstruction surgery?

Four incisions approximately 5mm-20mm in length, are made around the knee to place the camera and surgical instruments into the joint, harvest the graft and pass it into the knee. PCL reconstruction usually takes between 45 minutes and 2 hours, depending on the complexity of the operation.

Is PCL reconstruction necessary?

Patients with grade 2 PCL tears should consider reconstruction if they have trouble decelerating, going down inclines, going down hills, or if they start to develop pain in their kneecap joint or along the inside (medial joint line) of their knee.

How much is PCL surgery?

How Much Does a Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Repair or Reconstruction Cost? On MDsave, the cost of a Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Repair or Reconstruction ranges from $10,713 to $24,149.

Can I live without PCL?

A recent study publish in the prestigious American Journal of Sports Medicine demonstrated that PCL injuries can be successfully treated without surgery.

How do you sleep after PCL surgery?

3 Tips for Better Sleep After Meniscus Surgery

1. Keep your bandages clean and dry. Before you go to bed, check the dressing around the surgery site to make sure everything is copacetic.
2. Sleep on your back with the leg slightly elevated.
3. Roll over to the “good leg” side.
4. Try breathing exercises to help relax.

Can you live without PCL?

A lot of people can live and function normally with only a torn PCL. However, if you are younger, having a torn PCL and instability of your knee may lead to arthritis as you age.

Is PCL or ACL tear worse?

The pain from an ACL tear usually will be more severe than that of a PCL tear. There also may be significant (or total) loss of range of motion of the knee. Swelling from an ACL tear tends to develop slowly, over the course of 24 hours.

Is PCL tear worse than ACL?

Although it is larger and stronger than the ACL, the PCL can be torn. PCL tears make up less than 20% of injuries to knee ligaments. Injuries that tear the PCL often damage some of the other ligaments or cartilage in the knee, as well.