The Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) is found within your knee, just behind the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). This is just one of the ligaments that holds the femur to the tibia, and it keeps the tibia from moving backwards in relation to the thigh bone.
While a strong ligament by all accounts, the PCL can be injured after being subjected to a powerful force. Common reasons for this injury might be a knee joint hitting the dashboard of a vehicle in a car accident, or an athlete falling on their knee when it’s bent.
Depending on your symptoms and the severity of your pain, you might be referred to get an MRI scan to confirm the injury and the best course of treatment.
How Do Posterior Cruciate Ligament MRI Scans Work?
An MRI scanner uses radio waves and a large magnetic field to take images of your body’s hard and soft tissues. To see your PCL injury and assess its severity, the doctor would need to take an MRI scan of your affected leg. This is a non-invasive surgery to give your healthcare professional a better idea of your injury without putting you through more invasive procedures, giving them a better idea of how to treat you going forward.
MRIs are excellent options for leg injuries as they can show your doctor the surrounding area and whether you’ve got any other injuries alongside your PCL. This, again, gives them a better insight into what you need from them and how you can get back to fighting fit quickly.
Why Might You Need a Posterior Cruciate Ligament MRI?
MRI imaging is considered the gold standard for the evaluation of PCL injury, with an accuracy of between 96% and 100%. It’s one of the quickest and most effective ways of checking whether you’ve injured your PCL or not, which is why most healthcare professionals advise them when dealing with PCL injury symptoms. If you’re experiencing the following symptoms, your doctor might refer you for an MRI:
- Pain in the knee and leg that worsens over time
- Swelling
- A feeling of instability in the knee
- Stiffness
- Difficulty walking
- Trouble walking down the stairs
MRIs can also assess the other ligaments and tendons around your knee to see if you’re also suffering from other ailments, as well as quickly determining which grade your PCL injury is. There are four grades you could be suffering from, each of which will need a different severity of treatment.
How To Prepare for Your Posterior Cruciate Ligament MRI?
Most MRI scans of the knee are quite straightforward and don’t require any additional preparation work, although you might be given a list of requirements before attending your scan. PCL injuries can be very painful and some athletes may be fast-tracked into their MRI scan to determine the extent of their injury, so there might not be any time for you to prepare, anyway.
However, if you do have time to prepare and are wondering what you need to do, it’s best to ask your doctor. There shouldn’t be any restrictions on eating or drinking, but some hospitals prefer you to restrict food for a certain number of hours beforehand.
The MRI machine is a huge magnet, so you need to remove any metal you can before going into your appointment. Leave jewellery, money, and more at home, and make sure your doctor knows about any metal medical devices you have (like a pacemaker or pins from previous injuries). If your metal medical devices can’t be removed, it’s possible you won’t be able to have the MRI scan due to safety concerns.
What To Expect From a Posterior Cruciate Ligament MRI
During the Scan
On the day of your scan, you’ll be met with the radiology staff who will walk you through everything you need to know about what you can expect from the scan. Once you’re happy and all your questions have been answered, they’ll give you a new set of clothes to change into and a designated space to leave your belongings. You’ll be asked to remove everything other than the clothes they’ve given you, so make sure you double-check that you’ve removed your earrings and hearing aids, and stored your phone and keys away securely.
Most MRI scans of the leg shouldn’t need any contrast medium to enhance the scan’s images, so the radiologist should take you straight into the scan room and position you on the bed. You’ll be given a set of headphones to listen to music of your choice, as it can get quite loud within the MRI machine. Most people find this enough to keep them calm during the scan, but if you’re still feeling anxious, it might be worth asking if you can have a light sedative before the scan commences.
The scan will usually take between 30 and 60 minutes, as the technician will most likely want to take images of all three planes associated with it (axial, coronal, and sagittal). Remaining still in one position for so long can be challenging, especially when you’re in pain, but you should be able to talk to your radiologist at all times during the scan should you have any worries or concerns.
After the Scan
Once your scan has finished and your radiologist has given you the green light to move again, you’ll be taken to your locker where you can change back into your clothes and collect your belongings. If your procedure was an outpatient one, you should be able to go home straight away. However, depending on the severity of your injury, you might be asked to wait and stay for the results on the same day.
You might also be asked to stay if you’ve been given a sedative before the scan, just until it wears off. If you’re not getting your results straight away, your doctor should contact you within a few days to discuss the findings of your MRI scan with you and what the next steps may be.
What Are the Benefits of a Posterior Cruciate Ligament MRI?
There are plenty of benefits of getting an MRI of your PCL injury, including:
-
MRI scans are relatively non-invasive: When scanning your knee, the MRI machine is relatively non-invasive compared to other exploratory options, like X-rays and surgery
-
One scan can show several areas of the knee at the same time: PCL injuries can affect more than just this particular ligament, so being able to see all around the area will help your doctor create the best course of treatment
-
MRI scans offer the clearest form of imagery: Compared to other imaging technologies, such as X-rays, MRIs offer much clearer images to offer a better insight into your injuries
-
They might be able to fast-track your recovery: The quicker you can get your PCL injury assessed by a professional, the sooner they’ll be able to give you a personalised treatment plan or book your surgery so you can be on the road to recovery in no time
What Are the Risks of a Posterior Cruciate Ligament MRI?
Fortunately, there aren’t too many risks associated with MRI scans as they don’t use ionising radiation or anything that might cause risks to your health. They’re relatively non-invasive and quick, although it’s vital that you disclose any and all medical devices to your doctor beforehand. They’ll also ask about piercings and body modifications to keep you safe, so make sure you tell them everything to avoid any complications. This involves pins and splints from past surgeries.
Although rare, some PCL MRIs might require a contrast medium to get a clearer image of the internal structures of your knee. Some cases have reported allergic reactions to this, so you’ll also need to disclose any allergies beforehand.
Other Common MRI Scans
As well as MRI scans of the knee joint, there are several other scans that can be used to assess different parts of your body, including:
All MRI scans use a similar method of scanning, but depending on where your injury is, your positioning in the scanner might be different. Your doctor will be able to determine the best MRI scan for your symptoms.
FAQs
Why Would a Doctor Order a Posterior Cruciate Ligament MRI?
Your doctor might order an MRI scan of your PCL if you’re showing symptoms of a sustained injury, and if you’ve experienced a traumatic incident to your bent knee joint. They might use an ultrasound doppler or X-ray first, but if these don’t show any clear injuries, an MRI scan may be ordered.
How Long Does a Posterior Cruciate Ligament MRI Take?
Most PCL MRI scans will take between 30 and 60 minutes, but some might take as long as 90 minutes if your pictures aren’t clear enough or you moved during the scan.
World-Class Radiology
