Collateral Ligaments and other non-cruciate tendons & ligaments around the knee :
Pain when I twisted? - - Posted by Womble4eva (Womble4eva), 21 October 2003
Do u think I may have damaged my MCL again??Yesterday I turned around and I got a sharp pain in my knee on the inner side. It has continued and the knee is today sore and swollen. I really dont want to have done anything to it again, but is it possible?? 
I know u cant say for sure obviously and its about time I went back to my OS anyway but I thought things were beginning to go ok. How long does it take for an MCL to recover once it has been torn?? I also know this depends on the type and mine originally was a grade 2 tear in Jan.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Posted by ATsoccergirl (ATsoccergirl), 21 October 2003
You may have just tweaked your MCL a bit. I wouldn't be too concerned as long as there is no instability.
In terms of MCL healing, the grade of the tear really only affects the time out of sports. Aggressive rehab and modality use are indicated for the best results. We have found that biking allows for controlled stress on the ligament, which actually speeds up healing. Also, the correct brace is essential. We no longer immobilize for MCL tears, instead we use unloader braces. These make walking less painful and apply a low-grade sustained stretch to the ligament. This further helps in healing. In terms of modalities, early on- lots of ice, jobst compression pump, interferential current. Once the acute phase is over we can use ultrasound and combo. We will normally send the athlete back to competition in a functional knee brace more to prevent re-injury than anything. A grade 1 tear can normally return within a week, a Grade 3 may take between 4-6 weeks.
Grade 3 can be a little trickier since there is often concurrent mensical or cruciate ligament injuries. So there will often be a slight delay in treatment until the full extent of the injury is known.
Updated Thu Apr 29 2010
