MEDIAL COLLATERAL LIGAMENT INJURY

MEDIAL COLLATERAL LIGAMENT INJURY

Overview and Facts

In your knee, there is a band of tissue that runs along the edge that helps connect your shin and thigh bone. This is called the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL). The MCL’s job is to keep your knee stable and working correctly when you move.

A direct and hard impact on the knee may cause stretching of the ligament, or even tearing. The Medial Collateral Ligament gets injured once that force is suddenly applied. It makes your knee pushed to the side, get twisted, or bent out too far in a direction it is not supposed to.

Thus, this makes the Medial Collateral Ligament injury occur in contact sports, such as football, soccer, hockey, etc, where an athlete collides with another athlete.

Types and Symptoms

TYPES

MCL injuries are grade in 3 levels:

  • Grade 1 MCL injury (least severe) – the ligament has been stretched but not torn;
  • Grade 2 MCL injury– the ligament is partially torn; and
  • Grade 3 MCL injury (most severe)– the ligament is completely torn.

 

SYMPTOMS

People with Medial Collateral Ligament injury experience a popping sound when the damage takes place. Then, will experience these signs and symptoms in the knee area:

  • Pain along the inside edge
  • Tenderness along the inside edge
  • Swelling
  • Instability of the knee joint usually indicates a Grade 2 or 3 MCL injury.

Some MCL injured patients may find it difficult to walk. The knee may feel loose that it wobbles more than average or may feel stiff and gets locked when trying to move.

Diagnosis & Medications

DIAGNOSIS

Medical History and Physical Examination

Your doctor will ask questions regarding the situation that caused the damage and how you have been feeling since the injury.

The doctor will do physical examination by pushing on the inside of your knee to see how stable or how loose your joint is and in which areas hurt. They may also check damage to the MCL when it’s bent or straightened.

Imaging Tests

Your doctor may order magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and x-rays to assess damage.

TREATMENT

Immediate Treatment

Grade 1 MCL injuries may heal on their own with proper rest and other self-care methods, such as:

  • Applying ice to reduce the swelling
  • Raising your injured knee, and keeping your weight off
  • Using anelastic bandage/brace to protect and compress the injured area

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be prescribed by your doctor to help relieve some swelling and pain in the injured area.

Rehabilitation

When severe injuries to the MCL recover, the patient may need physical therapy to regain strength in the knee and improve the range of movement.

Surgery

With MCL injuries that are extremely severe, you may need surgery. Surgery is necessary when your ligament is torn, as it has no capabilities of repairing by itself.

Depending on the severity of your MCL injury, your doctor will tailor your treatment options based on your case.

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