How long does it take MCL tear to heal?
As previously noted, recovery times vary widely, but in general: A grade 1 (minor) MCL tear can take from a few days to a week and a half to heal enough for a return to normal activities, including sports. A grade 2 tear can take from two to four weeks to heal.
Can you still walk with a torn MCL?
If the MCL or ACL tears, the result is usually pain, swelling, stiffness, and instability. In most cases, the injured person can still walk with the torn knee ligament. But the movement will be severely limited, not to mention painful. Surgery may be the best route to a pain-free life, with amazing success rates.
How can I heal my MCL fast?
Early treatment for MCL injuries includes: Rest. Application of an ice pack application to reduce swelling that occurs hours after the injury. Compression using an elastic bandage or brace....Treatment for MCL tears include:Exercises to strengthen muscles.Use of a protective knee brace during exercise.Limited activity.
How can I tell if my MCL is torn?
If your MCL (medial collateral ligament) is torn, you may experience the following signs and symptoms:Hearing a popping sound at the time of the injury.Experiencing pain in your knee.Having tenderness along the inner side of your knee.Having stiffness and swelling in your knee.More items...•
How do you tell if MCL is torn or sprained?
How Can I Tell If I Tore My MCL? Signs & Symptoms to Watch ForA popping sound when the injury is sustained.Pain (ranging from mild to severe depending on injury grade) on the inside of the knee.Instability, or feeling like the knee cannot bear weight and may give out.Knee stiffness.More items...•
Is walking good for torn ligaments?
The short answer is yes. After the pain and swelling subsides and if there is no other injury to your knee, you may be able to walk in straight lines, go up and down stairs and even potentially jog in a straight line.
Can you bend your knee with a MCL tear?
Swelling can spread to other areas of the knee joint in the days following the injury. The knee may feel stiff, and a person may have difficulty straightening their leg or bending their knee. They may also find climbing the stairs or sitting in a chair challenging as this requires them to bend their knee.
Is walking good for torn ligaments?
The short answer is yes. After the pain and swelling subsides and if there is no other injury to your knee, you may be able to walk in straight lines, go up and down stairs and even potentially jog in a straight line.
Can you walk with a torn meniscus?
A torn meniscus usually produces well-localized pain in the knee. The pain often is worse during twisting or squatting motions. Unless the torn meniscus has locked the knee, many people with a torn meniscus can walk, stand, sit, and sleep without pain.
What is a grade 1 MCL tear?
A grade 1 MCL injury is the least severe. It means that your ligament has been stretched but not torn. A grade 2 MCL injury means that your ligament has been partially torn. This usually causes some instability in your knee joint.
What is MCL repair?
Definition. MCL repair is done to rebuild or support the ligament. The MCL sits on the inside of the knee. It is attached to the bone of the thigh and lower leg. The MCL helps to keep the knee stable against outside forces.
Why do you need surgery for a MCL?
Reasons for Procedure. Surgery may be needed if the ligament is damaged or weak. It may be done if: Ligament was injured and other treatment has not worked. The MCL is torn from the bone. Ligament is damaged by structural problems in legs. The knee is unstable—it buckles, twists, or slips in and out of the joint.
How to repair a torn ligament?
The repair work can be done in 1 of 2 ways: Repair. The ends of the torn ligament are stitched together. The ligament is attached to the bone to secure it. Tendon from another area may be used to support to the repair. Rebuild. The ligament may be too damaged to repair. In this case, it is replaced with a piece of tendon.
What is the MCL?
An MCL tear or rupture can be a debilitating injury, but it often responds well to conservative treatment options like physical therapy. The medial collateral ligament (MCL) runs along the inside of the knee and connects the shinbone, or tibia, to the femur, or thighbone.
What is a grade 2 MCL injury?
Grade 2: In a Grade 2 MCL injury, the ligament is partially torn. Treatment is similar to a Grade I trauma, but patients may be advised to stabilize the knee with a brace while they recover. Grade 3: The most severe MCL injury, a Grade 3 MCL trauma means the ligament is completely torn.
How long does it take to recover from a knee injury?
It also requires a longer recovery time, typically about three months. In addition to wearing a brace or taking pressure of the knee with crutches, you’ll undergo physical therapy to increase the joint’s range of motion. You can also start walking and pedaling on a stationary bike when the pain subsides.
How to strengthen the muscles around the knee?
Patients can strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee with exercises, including: Hamstring Curl: Stand straight on one leg and tighten the stomach muscles. Bend the other knee and slowly raise the heel toward the buttocks. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat with the other leg.
Can you repair a torn MCL?
Only in cases where the tear hasn’t healed after conservative therapy or other knee ligaments are damaged is surgery recommended. Surgery to repair a torn MCL involves stitching the ends of the ligament together or re-attaching it to the bone.
How to treat grade 3 MCL tear?
Treatment of Grade III MCL Tears. When a grade III MCL tear occurs, patients should brace their knee and use crutches until the pain has subsided. 7 The knee can be immobilized for a few days initially, but early range-of-motion will help in the recovery process. Once the patient can begin bending their knee, ...
How long does it take for a knee ligament to heal?
When this happens, you may face a recovery time of weeks to months, depending on the grade of the MCL tear.
Can you brace your MCL?
Treatment always begins with allowing the pain to subside, beginning work on mobility, followed by strengthening the knee to return to sports and activities. 3 Bracing can often be useful for the treatment of MCL injuries. Fortunately, most often surgery is not necessary for the treatment of an MCL tear.
Do MCL tears need surgery?
MCL tears often do not need surgery. There are many studies that document successful nonsurgical treatment in nearly all types of MCL injuries. 8 Most surgeons agree that for patients who complain of persistent knee instability, despite appropriate nonsurgical treatment, surgery is reasonable. 9
Overview of an MCL Sprain
If your MCL is overextended or overtaxed, then the ligament can become sprained or torn. This injury commonly occurs while participating in sports and is usually caused by twisting, cutting, or bending movements. Additionally, a blow or tackle to the outside of the knee can also cause this condition. 1
Treatment Options for an MCL Sprain
Shortly after an MCL sprain, your knee will be painful, swollen, and inflamed. During this acute phase, several treatments can help reduce these early symptoms. Depending on the severity of the injury, your doctor may also recommend physical therapy or surgery. Treatment options may include the following:
A Word From Verywell
After sustaining an MCL injury, it is vital to know the treatment options at your disposal. Following a thorough examination, your doctor will properly diagnose your condition and guide you through the interventions that are appropriate for you.
What is the MCL?
Medial collateral ligament (MCL): The MCL is the tissue band that runs on the inner side of the knee, connecting your shin and thigh bone. These ligaments each help stabilize the complicated, weight-bearing joint that is the knee, and a tear to any one of them can cause pain and disability.
How do you know if you have an MCL injury?
You may know an MCL injury by the following symptoms. Tenderness or pain along your inner knee. A popping sound during the injury. Knee joint swelling. A giving or locking sensation in the knee.
What is the medial collateral ligament?
The medial collateral ligament is one of the four stabilizing ligaments in the knee. Ligaments connect bone to bone (whereas tendons connect bone to muscle), and an injury to any one of them can compromise your range of motion, not to mention your quality of life. The knee's tendons include the following. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL): The ACL ...
How to heal a knee after surgery?
Use Heat and Ice Therapy. Don't use an ice pack and a heating pad at the same time of course, but icing your knee after surgery can help reduce swelling and pain, while heat therapy can ease stiffness, relax muscles, and increase circulation to the area as you heal.
What is the grade of MCL?
MCL injuries are graded based on their severity. Grade I: This is the least severe injury, when the ligament is overly stretched but not torn. Grade II: A partial tear of the MCL is a grade II injury, which may not need surgery, only proper care during the recovery period. Grade III: The most severe MCL injury is a complete tear, ...
How to speed up recovery after surgery?
Evidence has shown that supplementing with amino acids after just about any surgery can help speed recovery times because it gives your body the building blocks re quired to create new muscle tissue and replace weak or damaged cells with new and better ones.
How to help a knee that hurts?
Elevating the joint higher than your heart to reduce swelling. Taking NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to ease swelling and pain. Utilizing crutches to aid mobility while your injured knee heals.
What causes MCL to change direction?
Not surprisingly, MCL injuries are mostly caused by activities that involve rapid pivoting, twisting, or rotation, like changing direction quickly when running, or twisting your knee in a fall.
How to help a knee that is stiff?
Seeing the therapist on a regular basis is an important part of the healing process. Strengthening and gentle stretching exercises can help your knee regain its function, and it’s also important for preventing stiffness that can interfere with your recovery.
Can you have surgery on your ACL?
And as with the ACL, if the injury is serious, you’re probably going to need to have surgery to repair it. A lot of patients worry that knee surgery means they’ll be sidelined for a long time — or worse, that they may never recover complete use of their knee.
Can a grade 2 knee sprain heal on its own?
Again, many grade 2 sprains heal on their own with physical therapy and other conservative treatments. Grade 3 sprains are the most severe. These occur when the ligament is badly torn — usually completely torn in two.
Why does my MCL tear?
Causes. When your outer knee is hit very hard, the MCL, which runs along your inner knee, can stretch out far enough to strain or tear. People who play football, hockey, and other sports where players impact other athletes with great force may injure their MCL this way. You may also stretch or tear your MCL if your knee is suddenly pushed to ...
How to tell if you have a MCL injury?
Most people feel pain along the inside edge of the knee, and they also have swelling. You might hear a pop when the damage to the knee takes place, and your knee may lurch to the side. You may find it hard to walk, or feel like you can’t put pressure on the leg with the hurt kne e.
How long does it take for a MCL to heal?
It’s rare for someone with an MCL injury to need surgery, since this ligament can often heal within a few weeks or months with the help of other measures.
What to do if your knee is sore?
You’ll need to raise your sore knee when you put ice on it, keep weight off the joint, and protect and compress the injury with a knee brace or elastic bandage. To ease pain and swelling, your doctor may have you take NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen.
Can MRI show MCL?
Your doctor may also want to do some imaging tests of your knee: MRI. An MRI study can show MCL damage, so your doctor will know how bad your strain or tear is. X-ray. It won’t show your MCL, but it can show whether you have a broken bone. Stress X-ray.
Can you bend your knee when you have a MCL injury?
When your MCL is damaged, your knee can over-extend itself, or bend too far in a direction that it’s not supposed to bend. You may heal on your own with basic care, rest, and rehab. But if your injury is severe, you may need to have surgery.
