MCL Injury High Ridge, MO | Sports Rehab

MCL Injury | High Ridge, MO Physical Therapy

MCL Injury in High Ridge, MO. If someone plays sports or engages in other physical activity, it’s easy to fear the worst when you feel sudden pain on the inside of your knee: Did I suffer an MCL injury? Is it significant? How long will it take to recover? Will this be the end of my athletic career? At Axes Physical Therapy in High Ridge, MO, we are driven by positive patient experiences. While we’d like to be able to magically fix your MCL, we can make your recovery safe and effective through tailored, evidence-based treatment plans. Physical therapy has been shown time and time again to be an integral component of recovering from any MCL injury. Our physical therapists in High Ridge, MO are all licensed and average more than 15 years of individual experience. For treatment plans you know will be effective, reach out to the Axes location nearest you or schedule an appointment online.

What is the MCL?

MCL is an abbreviation for “medial collateral ligament.” A ligament is a tough band of connective tissue that affixes bones to each other and provides stability. The MCL connects your upper shin bone to the inner surface of the bottom thigh bone, running along your inner knee, and keeps the knee from moving side to side. Its primary purpose is to resist valgus stress, or the knee being forced unnaturally towards the other one. It is one of four ligaments in the knee, along with the:

ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), which goes through the middle of your knee and controls rotation and controls forward movement
PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), which crosses the ACL inside the knee and the femur from sliding off the tibia
LCL (lateral collateral ligament), which connects the thigh bone to the fibula (the smaller bone in the lower leg) and helps keep the outer side of your knee joint stable

The knee is one of the largest joints we have. Healthy structure and movement depends on surrounding bone, muscle, tendons, and ligaments. When any knee injury, such as an MCL tear, occurs it can have tremendous consequences for your mobility and pursue the activities you love most, or just complete basic tasks pain-free. Particular physical therapy exercises and other physician-prescribed treatment plans have been proven to help those who have suffered an MCL injury reduce pain and get back to normal functionality.

MCL Injury High Ridge, MO | Sports Rehab | Injury Prevention | Physical Therapy Near High Ridge

What Types of MCL Injuries Are There?

In general, an MCL injury is either a sprain, wherein the MCL is stretched beyond its normal range of motion, or a tear, where the MCL may fray partially or entirely separate from the bone. There are three grades to MCL injuries:

Grade 1 — A grade 1 MCL injury refers to a sprain, or a tear where less than 10% of the the fibers in your MCL are torn. These are not generally severe, and your knee largely remains stable. Your knee will feel tender, and you may also experience mild pain.
Grade 2 — This is more significant tearing, generally to the superficial part of the MCL. Your knee will be slightly unstable, and the knee will likely be loose when moved by hand. A grade 2 injury will result in significantly more pain than a grade 2 MCL injury.
Grade 3 — A grade 3 tear is a complete tear, or separation from the bone. You will likely feel like your knee’s about to “give out.” You will likely experience intense pain and a wide array of symptoms. The injury may actually caused by or accompanied by other serious knee injuries such as ACL tears.

Whatever grade MCL injury you have, our expert High Ridge, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes can, alongside your doctor, implement an exhaustive plan specially made for you and your injuries aimed at returning you to the life you’re used to in a safe and effective manner.

What Causes MCL Injuries?

40% of all knee injuries involve damage to the MCL, LCL, ACL, or PCL, and most of the time that ligament is the MCL. When you suffer a forceful trauma to the outside of your knee, it can push the knee inside far enough that the MCL strains or tears. MCL injuries can also occur if the knee is rotated more than the ligament can support. They can also happen because of landing or awkward bending, such as if a cleat is stuck in grass while the rest of your body moves.

Athletes in contact sports are the most likely to sustain an MCL injury. They are also common in those who lift weights or lift heavy objects at their work.

Common Symptoms of MCL Injuries

Most MCL injuries are accompanied by immediate, noticeable pain. 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 whole knee

Sometimes your knee may feel like your knee is loose when you walk, even if walking doesn’t hurt, or in other cases the knee feels too rigid. Any time you feel pain or instability in your knee, stop any strenuous activity immediately and schedule a physical examination in order to get a diagnosis.

Diagnosis and Treatment of an MCL Injury in High Ridge, MO

Diagnosing an MCL injury requires going to a physical examination. In the examination, your High Ridge, 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 physicians with knowledge of movement health in High Ridge, MO are qualified to diagnose an MCL injury with a physical examination. A phsycian may also order the following imaging tests to check the severity of the injury and whether or not you have suffered other damage to the knee:

An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), which uses a magnet and radio waves to produce detailed images of the knee joint
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, patella, tibia, and fibula have not fractured

Axes Physical Therapy also offers injury screening injury screenings at no cost or obligation to you. While we can offer you an evaluation, Missouri law stipulates that physical therapy be prescribed by a doctor.

Treating an MCL Injury in High Ridge, MO

Right after your MCL injury, you should start with basic first aid: reducing swelling, relieving discomfort, and using the R.I.C.E. Method of Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. For mild injuries, the R.I.C.E method, over-the-counter pain relievers, and a few days or week or two of rest may be all you need 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 to refrain from rigorous until your knee is strong again. Your Axes physical therapist in High Ridge, MO will be able to fit you for a knee brace in order to prevent your knee from becoming more instable while your MCL is still healing. 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 you are not recovering after several weeks of nonsurgical treatment — may require surgery. The surgery is carried out by using a graft, either from your hamstring or from another person, to reattach the torn sections. You would be able to go home the day of the surgery. If your doctor thinks surgery is necessary, our physical therapists are experts at pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation, which ensures that your knee will be healthy enough for the operation, and you’ll build back strength safely after the surgery.

How Do Physical Therapists in High Ridge, MO Treat MCL Injuries?

For recovering from any injury, a physically therapist will create safe and evidence-backed exercises, each aimed at helping a specific part of the body get back to optimal movement health. Physical therapy slowly and effectively improves strength in the surrounding muscles, flexibility of soft tissue, and range of motion to the knee in the interest of not only recovery, but injury prevention. Depending on you and your injuries, your treatment plan may include:

To begin, light movements performed by your physical therapist to help restore normal functionality
Exercised performed by you later to regain strength
Exercises with elastic bands, weight lifting equipment, or cardio machines such as an elliptical
Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, which has been proven to help accelerate knee ligament healing
Kinesio Taping®, which keeps the knee stable and helps control motion
Trigger point dry needling to further help the body’s natural healing process
Blood flow restriction training to improve strength 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 High Ridge, MO, all of our treatment plans are designed individually to each patient, proven through peer-reviewed research, and created alongside your doctor, in order to deliver you the best client experience and get you back to the activities you love.

Other conditions we help treat in High Ridge, MO include:

MCL Injury High Ridge, MO | Athletic Training | Sports Training | Physical Therapy Near High Ridge

Call an Axes Physical Therapist in High Ridge, MO for Your MCL Injury

An MCL injury is scary and anxiety-inducing at first, especially if you’re an athlete or someone who finds joy in an active lifestyle, but with our help, the ailment is only temporary. We know our clients trust us with their recovery, so we repay that trust with safe and effective treatments that are 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 High Ridge, MO, call the location nearest you and request an appointment online.