Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries – OrthoInfo

During your first visit, your doctor will talk to you about your symptoms and medical history.

Physical examination

During the physical examination, your doctor will check all the structures of your injured knee, and compare them to your non-injured knee. Your injured knee may appear to sag backwards when bent. It might slide backwards too far, particularly when it is bent beyond a 90-degree angle.

Imaging tests

Other tests that may help your doctor confirm your diagnosis include X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. It is possible, however, for these images to appear normal, especially if the injury occurred more than 3 months before the tests.

X-rays. Although they will not show any injury to your posterior cruciate ligament, X-rays can show whether the ligament tore off a piece of bone when it was injured. This is called an avulsion fracture. Your doctor may also order stress views, in which the doctor can assess just how far back the shin bone can move.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI scans create better images of soft tissues, like the posterior cruciate ligament, than X-rays.