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Nonoperative Treatment and Natural History of Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

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Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Abstract

The natural history of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries has been studied only on a limited basis. Injured PCLs can heal without treatment, even in the presence of other ligamentous injuries, and magnetic resonance imagings (MRIs) of chronic PCL injuries will often show that the PCL is intact. The 10-year follow-up natural history of PCL injuries showed that PCL laxity does not change with time from injury. Patients with lesser PCL laxity do not have better subjective survey scores or less radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis than patients with greater PCL laxity. Radiographic evaluation showed the prevalence rate of osteoarthritis being abnormal or severely abnormal to be 11 % at a mean of 14 years after injury. The mean International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective survey score was 73 points at a mean of 17 years after injury. Both objective and subjective results of nonoperative treatment of PCL injuries compare favorably with the long-term outcome of PCL reconstruction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shelbourne Knee Center, 1815 N. Capitol Ave., 46202, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    K. Donald Shelbourne MD

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  1. K. Donald Shelbourne MD
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Correspondence to K. Donald Shelbourne MD .

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  1. GHS Orthopaedics, Danville, Pennsylvania, USA

    Gregory C. Fanelli, MD

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Shelbourne, K. (2015). Nonoperative Treatment and Natural History of Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries. In: Fanelli, MD, G. (eds) Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12072-0_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12072-0_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-12071-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12072-0

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