What is a MCL strain?
What is a MCL strain?
An MCL injury is a sprain or tear to the medial collateral ligament. The MCL is a band of tissue on the inside of your knee. It connects your thighbone to the bone of your lower leg. The MCL keeps the knee from bending inward.
How long does a mild MCL strain take to heal?
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.
How is an MCL injury diagnosed?
A doctor should be able to diagnose an MCL tear after a physical examination of the knee. A doctor may compare one knee with the other, look closely at the injured knee, and gently feel for any swelling and the location of the tenderness. A doctor might carry out further imaging tests to confirm the diagnosis.
Can you bend your knee with a sprained MCL?
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.
How is a MCL injury graded on a MRI?
Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries are graded into three groups on MRI, much in the same way as many other ligaments: grade 1: (minor sprain) high signal is seen medial (superficial) to the ligament, which looks normal
Can a Grade 1 MCL sprain cause swelling?
Although the knee joint may not hurt or swell very much, a mild medial collateral ligament sprain can increase the risk of a repeat injury. For a Grade 1 MCL injury, mild tenderness on the inside of the knee but generally no swelling.
What are the symptoms of a Grade 2 MCL tear?
With the moderate Grade II MCL tear, ligament tears partially. Knee swelling and bruising are common, and the use of the knee joint is usually painful and difficult. You may have some complaints of instability or a feeling of the knee giving way. It usually associates Grade 2 injuries with significant tenderness and pain on the inside of your knee.
When is a MCL sprain like a rubber band?
However, if the muscles are weak, there will be a lot of pressure on the ligaments which can lead to an injury in the MCL. In this grade of injury, the ligaments are not torn but have been stretched above the ligaments limit. It’s like stretching a rubber band just before it cuts. The rubber band cuts when it has exceeded its elastic limit.
Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries are graded into three groups on MRI, much in the same way as many other ligaments: grade 1: (minor sprain) high signal is seen medial (superficial) to the ligament, which looks normal
What’s the difference between Grade 1 and Grade 2 MCL sprains?
For MCL sprain, it grades 1, 2, or 3 depending on the injury’s symptoms/severity. Grade 1 injury is a mild sprain, Grade 2 is moderate and Grade 3 is a complete tear of the ligament. For the Grade 1 MCL sprain, the knee ligament is slightly stretchy, but they don’t actually tear.
Which is the worst grade of MCL tear?
There are typically three classes/grades of MCL sprains. Eloquently they are named grades 1,2, and 3. 3 is the worst. If you have a grade 3 sprain you probably can’t walk. A grade 3 MCL sprain will leave you feeling completely unstable and very anxious when on your feet. Grade 3 tears are by far the most rare MCL injuries.
What are the symptoms of a MCL sprain?
The valgus stress test will usually reproduce MCL sprain symptoms, and you may have some laxity in your knee. However, there will be a specific endpoint as the ligament not completely ruptures. With a Grade III MCL sprain, the ligament tears fully, symptoms inducing swelling and sometimes bleeding under the skin.