When To Call A Professional
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If your knee becomes swollen, deformed, painful or unstable following a significant injury, call your doctor for an urgent evaluation.
If you develop pain at the front of your knee several weeks after you have injured it, make an appointment to see your doctor. Many PCL sprains are overlooked at the time of injury, so you may have sprained your PCL without realizing it.
Prognosis
Overall, 50% to 80% of all athletes with PCL injuries who are treated without surgery return to their sport at their pre-injury activity level or higher after rehabilitation.
Among people who have surgical reconstruction of the PCL, more than 80% are able to return to their pre-injury level of physical activity within three years after surgery.
As a long-term complication, many patients with PCL injuries eventually develop pain from osteoarthritis in the injured knee joint. On average, arthritis symptoms begin 15 to 25 years after the initial PCL injury.
Additional Info
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Information Clearinghouse 1 AMS Circle Bethesda, MD 20892-3675 Phone: (301) 495-4484 Toll-Free: (877) 226-4267 Fax: (301) 718-6366 TTY: (301) 565-2966 http://www.niams.nih.gov/
National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) 4200 Forbes Boulevard Suite 202 Lanham, MD 20706 Phone: (301) 459-5900 http://www.naric.com/naric/
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 6300 North River Rd. Rosemont, IL 60018-4262 Phone: (847) 823-7186 Toll-Free: (800) 346-2267 Fax: (847) 823-8125 http://www.aaos.org/
National Athletic Trainers' Association 2952 Stemmons Freeway Dallas, TX 75247-6196 Phone: (214) 637-6282 Fax: (214) 637-2206 http://www.nata.org/
American Physical Therapy Association 1111 North Fairfax St. Alexandria, VA 22314-1488 Phone: (703) 684-2782 Toll-Free: (800) 999-2782 Fax: (703) 684-7343 http://www.apta.org/
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