MCL Injury Lake St. Louis, MO | Sports Rehab

MCL Injury | Lake St. Louis, MO Physical Therapy

MCL Injury in Lake St. Louis, MO. For many people who maintain an active lifestyle, feeling that sudden “pop” in their knee creates a lot of doubts: Did I suffer an MCL injury? Is it significant? How long will it take to recover? Will I have to permanently give up the things I love doing? At Axes Physical Therapy in Lake St. Louis, MO, we are driven by getting our clients back to the activities they love most. While we’d like to be able to make your MCL injury go away, we can help ensure you get back to feeling like yourself with safe, evidence-backed treatments. Physical therapy has proven to be an essential aspect of recovering from any MCL injury. Our physical therapists in Lake St. Louis, 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 contact us online.

How the MCL Works

MCL stands for “medial collateral ligament.” A ligament is like a strong, firmly attached rope that attaches bone to bone and keeps joints stable. The MCL connects your upper shin bone to the inner surface of the bottom thigh bone, running along your inner knee, and helps keep your knee stable and moving normally. Its functions to guard against valgus pressure, or the knee being pushed unnaturally towards the other one. It is one of four ligaments that help keep the knee stable, along with the:

ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), which runs down the center of your knee and provides rotational stability and prevents the tibia from sliding too far forward on the femur
PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), which crosses the ACL in the middle of the knee and prevents excessive posterior translation of the tibia relative to the femur
LCL (lateral collateral ligament), which attaches the femur to the fibula (the smaller bone the small bone behind the tibia) and gives stability to the outer knee

The knee is known for being one of our most complex joints. Correct structure and movement depends on surrounding bone, muscle, tendons, and ligaments. There are countless knee injuries that can limit or completely restrict your mobility and compete like you’re used to, or just live a pain-free day-to-day life. Specific physical therapy exercises and other physician-prescribed treatment plans have been proven to help those who have suffered an MCL injury mitigate pain and swelling and get back to normal mobility.

MCL Injury Lake St. Louis, MO | Sports Rehab | Injury Prevention | Physical Therapy Near Lake St. Louis

What Types of MCL Injuries Are There?

In general, an MCL injury either involves 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 MCL has been torn. These injuries are typically not especially painful or debilitating, and your knee largely remains stable. Symptoms will likely be tenderness and mild pain.
Grade 2 — This is more significant tearing, most commonly to the middle layer of the ligament. You will probably lose some stability in the joint, and your joint may 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. Your knee will be significantly unstable. You will likely experience intense pain and several other symptoms. Grade 3 MCL injuries often occur alongside other knee injuries such as ACL tears.

Whatever grade MCL injury you have, our licensed Lake St. Louis, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes can, as a team with your physician, create a comprehensive plan uniquely made for you and your injuries to get you back to the activities your love most safely.

MCL Injuries: Causes and Symptoms

Ligament injuries account for 40% of all knee injuries, 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 too forcefully. They can also happen because of landing or excessive bending, such as if your foot stays in one place while the rest of your body moves.

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

Common Symptoms of MCL Injuries

If you suffer an MCL injury in Lake St. Louis, MO, you’ll likely 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
Inflammation, either on the inside of the knee or the entire knee joint

Sometimes your knee may feel like it’s wobbling when you walk, even if walking doesn’t hurt, while other times the knee feels too stiff. Any time you feel pain or instability in your knee, do not participate in any more strenuous activity and schedule a physical examination in order to get a diagnosis.

Diagnosing and Treating an MCL Injury in Lake St. Louis, MO

Diagnosing an MCL injury requires going to a physical examination. In the examination, your Lake St. Louis, MO doctor or physical therapist will go over what led to the injury, will feel for swelling and how your knee is different from your healthy knee, and perform a valgus stress test.

Most physical therapists or doctors that specialize in mobility of the human body in Lake St. Louis, MO will be able 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 take three-dimensional images of your soft tissue
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, may be ordered for a severe MCL injury to ensure there are no broken bones

You can also come to the Axes location most convenient for you for a free, no-obligation injury screening. While we will be able to diagnose your injury, Missouri law mandates that physical therapy be prescribed by a physician.

How MCL Injuries are Treated in Lake St. Louis, MO

Right after your MCL injury, you should start with basic first aid: inflammation reduction, relieving discomfort, and utilizing the R.I.C.E. Method of Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. For sprains or slight tears, 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 for your body to heal itself.

Professional physical therapy is needed for more severe tears to restore strength and optimal range of motion and get you back to the activities you love. You’ll also need to refrain from rigorous activity for an even longer period. Your Axes physical therapist in Lake St. Louis, 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 worst grade 1 tears — 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 an organ donor, to reconstruct the ligament. The surgery is an outpatient procedure. If you do require surgery in Lake St. Louis, MO, our physical therapists will be able to help you with pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation get you the best possible results from your surgery.

How Can Physical Therapy in Lake St. Louis, MO Treat My MCL Injury?

The aim of physical therapy, when dealing with any injury, is to create safe and evidence-backed treatments, 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 strength in the muscles that power the knee, flexibility of ligaments and tendons, and range of motion to the knee so you can get back to what you love most and prevent further injury. A physical therapist may recommend and implement the following practices:

To begin, light motions performed by your physical therapist to slowly get the MCL used to normal motion again
More active exercises and stretches later to further develop strength and flexibility
Exercises with resistant 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 keeps the knee stable 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 Lake St. Louis, MO, all of our treatment plans are as unique as each patient, and created with the help of your physician, in order to get you the best patient outcome possible and get you back to the activities you love.

Other services we offer in Lake St. Louis, MO include:

MCL Injury Lake St. Louis, MO | Athletic Training | Sports Training | Physical Therapy Near Lake St. Louis

Schedule an Appointment With an Axes Physical Therapist in Lake St. Louis, MO for Your MCL Injury

An MCL injury can be painful and frightening, especially if you’re an athlete, but there’s no reason it has to put you on the sideline forever. 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 Lake St. Louis, MO, call the location nearest you and request an appointment online.