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Handball Sports Medicine pp 295–305Cite as

Management of PCL Injuries in Handball

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Abstract

Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries are rare injuries in sports compared with other acute knee ligament injuries such as medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. The major function of the PCL is to provide a restraint to posterior displacement of the tibia on the femur. There are three dominating injury mechanisms described: hyperextension, hyperflexion and pretibial contact with a flexed knee such as in the dashboard injury or in a fall on the knee with a plantarflexed foot. It is paramount to distinguish early after the incident if the PCL injury is isolated or combined with other significant knee injuries. The most common treatment for an isolated PCL injury is a non-surgical protocol with bracing and stepwise rehabilitation. Return to handball and other similar knee-demanding sports can usually be expected within 5 months after such treatment. No firm conclusions can be drawn about the outcome and return to play rate after PCL reconstruction in handball players. All in all, the literature on PCL injuries is scarce compared with that on ACL injuries, and further studies on treatment and prevention are highly warranted.

Keywords

  • Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL)
  • Handball Players
  • Acute Knee Ligament Injuries
  • Plantarflexed Foot
  • Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Football Research Group, Division of Community Medicine, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

    Markus Waldén M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry, UK

    Lior Laver M.D.

  3. Department of Arthroscopy, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, UK

    Lior Laver M.D.

Authors
  1. Markus Waldén M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Lior Laver M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Markus Waldén M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry, United Kingdom

    MD Lior Laver

  2. Department of Surgery, Aspetar - Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar

    MD Philippe Landreau

  3. Clinique d’Eich, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg Clinique d’Eich, Luxembourg, Luxembourg

    Dr. Romain Seil

  4. Aspetar - Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, Doha, Qatar

    MD Nebojsa Popovic

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Waldén, M., Laver, L. (2018). Management of PCL Injuries in Handball. In: Laver, L., Landreau, P., Seil, R., Popovic, N. (eds) Handball Sports Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-55892-8_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-55892-8_21

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