PCL Brace

The ACL, MCL, PCL and LCL are the 4 main ligaments of the knee. The ACL and PCL attach the tibia to the femur in the centre of the knee joint. They are the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments. They cross over each other as they are oppositely angled in the knee and therefore have opposing functions. The PCL’s function is to prevent backward (posterior) movement of the tibia relative to the femur. The ACL’s function is to prevent forward (anterior) movement of the tibia relative to the femur. The MCL and LCL are the medial and collateral ligaments of the knee and resist medial or lateral movement of the knee joint.

Injury to any ligament will cause its function to be impaired and therefore braces can be useful in the acute phase after injury to support the action of the ligament, stabilise the joint and allow the ligament to heal well as excessive stretching of the ligament is avoided. Different braces are needed depending on the level of injury and joint instability. The greater the instability with a PCL injury the great support will be needed to hold the tibia forwards.