MCL Injury Doe Run, MO | Sports Rehab

MCL Injury | Doe Run, MO Physical Therapy

MCL Injury in Doe Run, MO. For many people who maintain an active lifestyle, it’s easy to fear the worst when you feel sudden pain on the inside of your knee: Did I suffer an MCL injury? How bad is the injury? How long will I be sidelines for? Will this be the end of my athletic career? At Axes Physical Therapy in Doe Run, MO, we are driven by positive patient experiences. While we’d like to be able to magically fix your MCL, we can help ensure you get back to feeling like yourself with safe, evidence-backed treatments. Physical therapy has been shown time and time again to be an integral aspect of any treatment plan for MCL injuries. Our physical therapists in Doe Run, MO specialize helping a variety of injuries and conditions in the musculoskeletal system heal. For treatment plans you know will be effective, reach out to the Axes location nearest you or schedule an appointment online.

The Anatomy of the MCL

MCL is an abbreviation for “medial collateral ligament.” A ligament is a fibrous of connective tissue that attaches bones to each other and helps hold structures with the musculoskeletal system together. The MCL runs from the inside of your upper shin bone to the inside of your bottoms thigh bone and keeps the knee from moving side to side. Its chief purpose is to resist valgus stress, or the knee being forced unnaturally towards the other one. It combines with three other ligaments to keep the knee stable:

ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), which goes through the middle of your knee and controls rotation and prevents the knee from bending inward
PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), which forms an “X” with the ACL inside the knee and controls backward movement
LCL (lateral collateral ligament), which runs along the outside of the knee from the thigh bone to the fibula (the smaller bone in the lower leg) and gives stability to the outer knee

The knee is one of the largest joints we have. A healthy knee relies on surrounding bone and muscle, and the tendons and ligaments in order to provide stability and function properly. When any knee injury, such as an MCL tear, occurs it can have tremendous consequences for your mobility and ability to do what you love most, or just live a pain-free day-to-day life. Specific physical therapy exercises and other physician-prescribed treatment plans have been demonstrated through evidence to help patients reduce pain and get back to normal movement health.

MCL Injury Doe Run, MO | Sports Rehab | Injury Prevention | Physical Therapy Near Doe Run

What Types of MCL Injuries Are There?

Generally speaking, an MCL injury either involves a sprain, wherein the MCL is stretched beyond its normal range of motion, or a tear, where the ligament is either partially or completely torn or separated from the bone. There are three grades to MCL injuries:

Grade 1 — A grade 1 sprain or tear means that the ligament has been stretched, and less than 10% of the MCL has been torn. It’s typically a mild injury, and your knee largely remains stable. Symptoms will likely be tenderness and mild pain.
Grade 2 — This is a more moderate tear, most commonly to the middle layer of the ligament. Your knee will be slightly unstable, and the knee will likely be loose when moved by hand. Pain is much more severe in a grade 2 MCL injury.
Grade 3 — This occurs when your MCL is entirely torn, both the superficial and deep parts. Your knee will be significantly unstable. Pain will be intense and you’ll likely feel a wide array of symptoms. Grade 3 MCL injuries often occur alongside other knee injuries such as ACL tears.

However significant your MCL injuries, our expert Doe Run, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes can, along with your physician, implement an exhaustive and personalized plan aimed at returning you to the life you’re used to safely.

MCL Injuries: Causes and Symptoms

40% of all knee injuries involve damage to a ligament, and the MCL is the most commonly injured ligament. Most people often suffer and MCL injury because of a blow to the outer edge of the knee. MCL injuries can also occur if the knee is rotated more than the ligament can support. They can also take place when landing or awkward bending, such as if your foot stays in one place while your leg keeps moving.

MCL injuries usually occur athletes in contact sports and in activities that require a lot of cutting and jumping such as football, soccer, skiing, basketball, and tennis. They can also occur in people who have to hunch over and lift heavy objects, either for athletic training or in the course of their employment.

Common Symptoms of MCL Injuries

If you suffer an MCL injury in Doe Run, MO, you’ll probably notice the pain right away. Other symptoms may include:

A sudden “pop” on the inside of your knee
Feeling like the may give out
Not being able to put any weight on the knee
Bruising
Tenderness where the MCL is located
Swelling, either where the MCL is located or the entire knee joint

Sometimes you may feel like your knee is “shaky”, while other times the knee feels too rigid. If you experience any of the above symptoms, do not participate in any more strenuous activity and schedule a physical examination in order to get a diagnosis.

Diagnosis and Treatment of an MCL Injury in Doe Run, MO

MCL injuries are diagnosed in a physical examination. In the examination, your Doe Run, MO doctor or physical therapist will go over how the injury occurred, will feel for swelling and how your knee is different from your healthy knee, and gently see if your knee is unstanble while bending inward, and your pain level.

Most physical therapists or doctors with knowledge of movement health in Doe Run, MO will be able to diagnose an MCL injury with a physical examination. Other tests to check severity or to confirm may include:

An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), which uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to produce three-dimensional images of the inside of your knee
An ultrasound, which uses sound waves and can help determine the grade of your injury
An X-ray, which, while it won’t show the MCL or other ligaments, to insure your femur, kneecap, tibia, and fibula have not fractured

You can also come to the Axes location nearest you for a free, no-risk injury screening. While we can offer you an evaluation, Missouri Revised Statute §334.506 mandates that physical therapy be prescribed by a doctor.

How MCL Injuries are Treated in Doe Run, MO

The initial treatment of an MCL injury consists of basic first aid: reducing swelling, relieving pain, and implementing the R.I.C.E. Method of Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. For mild injuries, the R.I.C.E method, pain and swelling relievers, and some time spent off your feet may be sufficient to get mostly back to normal.

Professional physical therapy is needed for more severe tears to restore strength and function and get you back to the activities you love. You’ll also need time of limited activity to allow your body to heal safely. Your Axes physical therapist in Doe Run, MO will be able to fit you for a knee brace so that you don’t suffer further injury. With physical therapy, you’ll still continue icing your knee and taking anti-inflammatory pain medication.

Though uncommon, the most severe cases — in which the MCL is completely torn, the injury is accompanied by an ACL tear, or nonsurgical treatment just isn’t working — may require surgery. The surgery is carried out by using a graft, either from one of your other ligaments or from another person, to reconstruct the MCL. You would not have to be hospitalized overnight. If you do require surgery in Doe Run, MO, our physical therapists are experts at pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation to make your surgery and recovery as successful as possible.

How Can Physical Therapy in Doe Run, MO Treat My MCL Injury?

For recovering from any injury, a physically therapist will create safe, effective, and evidence-backed treatment methods based on each patient’s specific injury and the lifestyle they want to get back to. These treatments and exercises will, over time, build strength in the strength in the muscles that power the joint, flexibility of soft tissue, and range of motion to the joint so you can get back to what you love most and prevent further injury. Depending on you and your injuries, your treatment plan may include:

At the start, passive movements performed by your physical therapist to help restore normal functionality
Exercised performed by you later to further develop strength and flexibility
Exercises with elastic bands, weight lifting equipment, or cardio machines such as an elliptical
Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, which research suggests can accelerate knee ligament healing
Kinesio Taping®, which provides further stability while your body heals and encourages normal motion
Trigger point dry needling to stimulate harder-to-reach tissue
Blood flow restriction training to help you make greater strength gains while lessening stress on the joint
Athletic training and sports therapy for those whose main goal is to get back onto the court or field

At Axes Physical Therapy in Doe Run, MO, all of our treatment plans are as unique as each patient, and created with the help of your physician, in order to deliver you the best client experience and get you back to doing what you love to do most.

Other services we offer in Doe Run, MO include:

MCL Injury Doe Run, MO | Athletic Training | Sports Training | Physical Therapy Near Doe Run

Schedule an Appointment With an Axes Physical Therapist in Doe Run, MO for Your MCL Injury

An MCL injury can be painful and frightening, especially if you’re an athlete or someone who finds joy in an active lifestyle, but there’s no reason it has to put you on the sideline forever. We know you place a lot of trust in your physical therapists, so the treatment method we plan for you will be safe and backed by evidence. We also strongly believe in patient education so you can stay as healthy and active as possible. For meaningful and lasting recovery from your MCL injury in Doe Run, MO, call the location nearest you and request an appointment online.