A hinged knee brace should be worn to protect the ligament whilst exercising. I am … 2. I was bummed about not being able to play right before games but whatever, it would heal soon. I injured my medial collateral ligament in February. Suffered an MCL tear in January. By William O. Roberts, MD. MCL Sprain Medial Collateral Ligament Sprain. 1. a tackle hitting the outer side of the knee. How can doctors tell you have suffered a torn MCL, and tell the grade of injury, by examining your knee? Lakers’ Jared Dudley won’t undergo MCL surgery, will stay with team for stretch run Share this: Click to share on Facebook ... has a chance to heal on its own, he said. The healing period for wrist sprains varies from patient-to-patient. The MCL connects the femur (thighbone) to the tibia (shinbone) and helps stabilize and control the sideways movement of the knee. After the sprain has healed, ensure you do not … The failure not to recognize combined injuries or incomplete healing of the medial side of the knee can lead to continued chronic valgus … This pushes the bones apart on the inside of the knee which overstretches the ligament tearing the MCL. Unlike the ACL, the MCL heals quite well with a period of rest, possibly a brief period of bracing, and a rehab program to rebuild and maintain muscle strength. In some rare cases, the ligament may be torn in a way that it cannot heal itself, so surgery may become necessary. It’s hard to say exactly how long MCL sprains need to heal, but a few factors affect the recovery timeline. Patients have significant pain and swelling, and often have difficulty bending the knee. How I Healed My Knee Naturally. When the knee ligaments are stretched but not torn, this is called a sprain. However, my recovery seems to have plateau'd after about 6 weeks. Here’s a rundown of three categories of MCL damage: Grade I: A Grade I MCL injury refers to a sprain of the ligament, but not a tear. The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is one of the ligaments in the knee joint. A popping sound at the time of injury is usually experienced. You will take pain medication, ice and elevate your knee, and walk around for a few minutes a day The MCL is on the part of the knee closest to the other knee (the "medial" side). A ligament is a tough, flexible band of tissue that holds bones and cartilage together. Your medial collateral ligament (MCL) is the knee ligament on the medial (inner) side of your knee connecting the medial femoral condyle and the medial tibial condyle.It is one of four major knee ligaments that help to stabilise the knee joint. A knee brace or a knee immobilizer is usually needed for comfort, and healing may take 10 to 12 weeks. The amount of pain (or lack of it) is not necessarily the key factor in determining the severity of the injury. Listen to your body. Jesus is amazing! In contrast to the ACL, the MCL has shown excellent healing capability in both animal and clinical studies. Now I’m not really sure if I did sprain my MCL, because I’ve noticed my knee is swollen with some sort of liquid, I’m guessing the stuff it swells up with to protect itself, but it’s more on the outside of my knee which is … For a grade I injury, it may take a few weeks to heal; for a grade II injury, it may take six weeks to heal; For a grade III injury, it may take 3 – 4 months to heal. This is in order to keep weight off the knee and promote MCL healing. Unfortunately, there is little you can do to speed your biology, although I mention one way we are trying to speed up the healing process. In almost all cases, it is not necessary to have surgery to repair an MCL tear. View MCL sprain exercises. MCL Recovery Timeline. Pain straightaway, prety bad, physio for a few weeks (very limited on the NHS) and it improved a lot. The MCL is an extra-articular ligament with intrinsic ability to heal. Your MCL and your lateral collateral ligament control the sideways movement of your knee. As your ligament heals, strengthening exercises such as mini squats, leg press, and step-ups can be done. Grade I can take 2-4 weeks, while Grade III can take as long as 3-6 months to heal. In contrast to the ACL, the MCL is made up of fibroblast-type cells with the potential to heal. for something like your knees, you want those healthy and strong. Wear appropriate shoes. Slipped in the snow, foot went sideways while knee stayed still, putting a valgus bend on the joint. There are a variety of treatments that can help you find relief from your MCL pain and speed up the healing process. I've gotten emails with questions about how I healed my knee injury naturally ever since this post was shared in 2014. It is a flat band of tough fibrous connective tissue composed of long, stringy collagen molecules. I'm nearly 4 weeks into my MCL injury and getting annoyed that it's not healing quicker! your knees are key for any sport, and im assuming youre in the offseason right now, so this is the time you heal everything up. The patient will begin physical therapy to regain range of motion and stability in the knee joint. Once the MCL has fully healed, you should have minimal long-term effects, provided your knee suffered no other damage. MCL injuries can be grades 1, 2, or 3: A grade 1 MCL injury is the least severe. This type of MCL injury heals within a few weeks with conservative therapy centered on resting the joint, reducing swelling with ice packs; and taking anti-inflammatory medications. Generally MCL injuries don’t need surgery. Most patients can expect the following in terms of an MCL recovery timeline: You’ll go home the same day of the surgery; For the first few days, you will not feel up to much. And if the ligament is completely torn, the person will not be able to walk until the injury heals. But I know it's a long healing process; my GP advised the RICE method, gave me a course of anti inflammatory medication, and referred me to physio. Often rest from sports and wearing a brace can help the MCL heal. The MCL does not show up on x-rays, but an MRI can show an MCL injury. The ACL is an intra-articular ligament. ACL Tear and MCL Tear Treatment and Healing Time For an ACL Tear: Treatment for an ACL tear will vary on two main factors: (a) The severity of the injury, and (b) the patient’s lifestyle. know your limits. if its nothing too serious you should be fine in a couple weeks. The MCL is the most commonly injured knee ligament, often during sports such as rugby. As with ACL injuries, it is possible to rehab and strengthens the knee enough to … Instability, or giving out, is a common finding with grade III MCL tears. But movements involving a change of direction or sideways stresses should be avoided until much later in the rehabilitation program. Multi Sport participation not just incidence in a single sport gives truest estimation of athletes risk. The average time required to recover will depend on the grade of the sprain. Since then, I've re-injured this knee, injured my other knee (this time a minor ligament tear), and recovered and now my … This means that surgical intervention is the only way to restore a functioning MCL. Rabbit models have demonstrated that combined ACL/MCL injuries result in inferior structural and material properties of the healing MCL compared with those of the isolated MCL model. It connects the bottom of the thighbone (femur) to the top of the shinbone (tibia). 1. You may also notice swelling and tenderness, as well as bruising, on the same side (take note that some of these may not …