Collateral Ligament Injuries

Medial Collateral Ligament & Lateral Collateral Ligament

Collateral Ligaments of the Knee

The medial collateral ligament or the lateral collateral ligament of your knee are commonly injured. An injury to your collateral ligaments usually involves a significant force, like a fall whilst playing sport or from a direct impact to the side of the leg.

You have a Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) and a Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL).

During injury, your collateral ligaments stretch too far and they often tear. The tear can be in the middle section of your ligament, or it can tear where the collateral ligament attaches to your bone, on either end. If the force of the injury is large enough, other ligaments can also tear. The most common combination is a tear of the MCL and a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The ACL runs through the middle of your knee and limits how far forward your tibia (lower leg) moves in relation to your femur (upper leg).

MCL tears are more prevalent than LCL tears, but a torn LCL has a more significant chance of causing your knee to become unstable.

Repetitive activities that involve forceful rotation of the lower leg such as the fast kick in swimming can also cause your MCL to wear down or tear over time.

The LCL is most often injured when the knee is forced to hinge outward away from the body. It can also be torn if the knee gets snapped backward too far (hyperextended).

A tear one of your collateral ligaments will result in damage to the soft tissues around your knee. There is most commonly bleeding and some swelling of the tissues around your knee. The injury can cause a bleed into the knee joint itself. Your knee will feel stiff and painful, especially during weight bearing on that leg. As the initial stiffness and pain reduce your knee joint can become unstable, and your knee may give way.

Torn Knee Ligament

 

Chronic, or long-term, instability due to an old injury of your collateral ligaments is a common issue. If the torn ligament heals in a way that is not tight enough to support your knee, you will feel unstable – your knee may give way and may be painful with overuse.

City Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic & Pilates Adelaide CBD your physiotherapist will assess and treat your collateral knee ligaments and any surrounding tissues that are injured. It is best to seek early assessment so that treatment can begin as soon as possible to provide you with the best long-term outcome. After the initial injury is treated we may also look at your biomechanics to see if your body has any muscle imbalances that need addressing.

Recovery times vary also, however, minor sprains of either the MCL or LCL will often get better with treatment within four to six weeks. Moderate collateral ligament tears can rehabilitate with physiotherapy within two months. Severe MCL tears will most likely require up to three months.

Patients who are still having issues after three months of rehab may require surgery. Severe tears of the LCL are the most difficult as they tend to leave your knee joint the most unstable, and people with this condition typically don’t do well with non-surgical treatment alone. Patients who continue having periods of swelling or instability in the knee may also require surgery.

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