Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury eMedicine PMR

Description: The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) courses from the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the medial condyle of the femur. It gives dynamic stability to the knee by preventing posterior displacement of the tibia on the femur. The PCL is an extrasynovial structure composed of a large anterolateral portion and a small posteromedial portion. The PCL is composed of type I collagen. Electron microscopy has demonstrated that the mean fibril cross-sectional area decreases in diameter from the proximal to the distal portion of the PCL. The PCL resists 85-100% of posteriorly directed forces at 30° and 90° of knee flexion. The 2 bands of the PCL, the anterolateral band and the posteromedial band, have different tension patterns. The anterolateral band is under great tension during knee flexion, whereas the posteromedial band is under more tension during knee extension.
Synonyms and related keywords: posterior cruciate ligament injury, PCL injury, ligamentum cruciatum posterius, knee ligament, tibia, medial condyle, femur
Bhatti, Kishner & Sarmini 2006