Collateral Ligaments and other non-cruciate tendons & ligaments around the knee :
Grade 2 MCL Strain - - Posted by Cheri0728 (Cheri0728), 13 January 2005
I suffered a Grade 2 MCL strain four days ago while skiing (ouch). I've read a few posts on this website and now I'm concerned. The MRI said I had a strain and a bone bruise. My OS said no surgery was needed and this should heal nicely on its own. OS suggested PT but said I could do it at home (I've sinced said I'll take PT). OS also said to wear the brace for a month and that I MAY be able to ski in March or April. This lovely brace sits right on my very sore knee. Is it (the brace) supposed to sit on the MCL
!? Call me crazy or knee stupid, but I'm a wee bit concerned -- should I be?? Any help or advice anyone can provide is greatly appreciated.
Posted by cgski (cgski), 17 January 2005
Cheri, I tore my MCL last Feb year skiing - a nice guy went over the front of my ski as I came off a lift and skewered my knee round to a funny angle with the ski like a giant lever. Various docs thought I'd done in my ACL too - but eventually turned out it was fine. My treatment was a whole leg cast for 3 weeks, followed by a brace 24/7 for a further 7 weeks - with physio. At the end of that my leg was a bit of a wreck - and my knee really sloppy, and I wore a brace (Edge cti) for all strenuous activities for months after that. Also got the knee tidied up inside in September - which also sorted out the ACL question once and for all.
I'm just about to take my first ski trip since the accident. I'm a bit nervous about reinjury, but I'm going to use my brace and hope I don't have any incidents with silly mooses on the slopes. Knee feels pretty much OK now - bar the odd clonking and hyper extending - and I've got the muscles pretty strong again...
The brace, BTW, is to stop the knee rotating the wrong way - as it may do with a damaged MCL. - so give it a chance to heal. When the therapist took my brace out of the box I looked in horror - until she explained that the treatment before braces was a cast for weeks on end ....
Good luck! cgski
Updated Sat Nov 21 2009
