Assessment of PCL Injury

PCL Injury

Following an initial assessment of the skier’s leg and foot, he has suffered an injury to his posterior cruciate ligament. As one of the four major knee ligaments, posterior cruciate ligament is structured in a manner that enables it to resist forces that push the tibia posteriorly with respect to the femur. The structure that is most likely injured with the direct blow to the tibial tuberosity resulting in the displaced tibia is posterior cruciate ligament, which is one of the most commonly injured knee joint ligament structures (Peterson et al., 2017). The direct hit on the tibial tuberosity has caused a direct blow to the outer aspect of the upper leg or lower thigh and resulted in the injury to posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The overall function of all ligaments in the knee joint is to provide the stability around a joint (Williams, 2013). In this case, all ligaments of the knee joint add to the proprioceptive role of the joint and provide feedback regarding the position of the joint when stretched.

The skier’s leg and foot are turning slightly blue relative to his other leg, which is an indication of cyanosis, a bluish color of the skin that is attributable to lack of oxygen in the blood. In this case, the skier seems to have injured his popliteal artery, which is vital for blood supply to the posterior cruciate ligament. Blood supply to the posterior cruciate ligament comes from the middle genicular artery, which originates off the popliteal artery (Stevens et al., 2015). The middle genicular artery receives blood supply from the thin synovial sheath vessels surrounding the crucial ligaments. Additionally, PCL receives blood supply from capsular vessels, which supply distal portions of this ligament through inferior genicular and popliteal arteries. Posterior cruciate ligament supplies blood to the knee joint through genicular and popliteal arteries. To assess the normal flow of blood, the examiner should palpate the articular surface during various tests of PCL injury. The examiner can also palpate the posterolateral translation of the condyle of the tibia relative to the posterolateral condyle of the femur (Lee & Nam, 2011). During this process, the examiner should press the ligament area lightly to check for the extent of swelling, warmth, or tenderness while ensuring that the knee is not flexed beyond 90.

Given the situation and results of initial assessment, the patient should not ride in a friend’s car because the condition requires further assessment to determine the extent of the posterior cruciate ligament injury. Therefore, contacting emergency personnel is highly recommended to help in urgent examination of the injury.