MCL Injury South County, MO | Sports Rehab

MCL Injury | South County, MO Physical Therapy

MCL Injury in South County, MO. If someone plays sports or engages in other physical activity, feeling that sudden “pop” in their knee creates a lot of anxiety: Did I injure my MCL? How bad is the injury? How long will it take to recover? Will I have to permanently give up the things I love doing? At Axes Physical Therapy in South County, MO, we are driven by positive patient outcomes. While we can’t, we can make your recovery safe and effective through personalized, proven 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 South County, 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 most convenient for you you or contact us online.

The Anatomy of the MCL

MCL an acronym for “medial collateral ligament.” A ligament is a tough, flexible of connective tissue that attaches bones to each other 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 keeps the knee from moving side to side. Its main purpose is to withstand valgus pressure, or the knee being pushed unnaturally inward. It combines with three other ligaments to keep the knee stable:

ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), which runs down the center of your knee and provides rotational stability and controls forward movement
PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), which crosses the ACL in the middle of the knee and controls backward movement
LCL (lateral collateral ligament), which affixes the thigh bone to the fibula (the smaller bone between the knee and ankle) and helps keep the outer side of your knee joint stable

The knee is one of the biggest joints in the human body. Healthy structure and function depends on surrounding bone, muscle, tendons, and ligaments. When any knee injury, such as an MCL tear, occurs it can limit or completely restrict your mobility and pursue the activities you love most, or just live a pain-free day-to-day life. Particular physical therapy techniques and other treatment modalities, prescribed by a doctor, have been proven to help those who have suffered an MCL injury reduce pain and return to optimal movement health.

MCL Injury South County, MO | Sports Rehab | Injury Prevention | Physical Therapy Near South County

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. MCL injuries are “graded” in three tiers:

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 will still be stable. Symptoms will likely be tenderness and mild pain.
Grade 2 — This is more significant tearing, most commonly to the more fibrous part of the ligament. Your knee will be slightly unstable, 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 a wide array of symptoms. The injury may actually caused by or accompanied by other serious knee injuries such as ACL tears.

However significant your MCL injuries, the team of qualified South County, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes can, in concert with your physician, create an exhaustive and tailored plan to get you back to the things you love without incurring further injury.

MCL Injuries: Causes and Symptoms

Ligament injuries account for 40% of all knee injuries, and most of the time that ligament is the MCL. Most MCL injuries occur due to physical trauma on the outside of the knee. MCL injuries can also by the knee rotating 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 the rest of your body moves.

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

Common Symptoms of MCL Injuries

Most people feel pain immediately on the inside of the joint when they experience an MCL sprain or tear. Other symptoms may include:

A sudden “pop” on the inside of your knee
The knee being unstable
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, or in other cases the knee feels too stiff. If you suspect you may have suffered an MCL injury, 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 South County, MO

MCL injuries are diagnosed in a physical examination. In the examination, your South County, 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 South County, MO are qualified to diagnose an MCL injury with the above procedures. 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 create detailed images of the knee joint
An ultrasound, which uses sound waves and can help determine how severely the MCL is torn
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 will be able to diagnose your injury, Missouri Revised Statute §334.506 mandates that physical therapy be prescribed by a doctor.

How MCL Injuries are Treated in South County, MO

Typically, treating an MCL injury begins with basic first aid: reducing swelling, easing pain, and implementing the R.I.C.E. Method of Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. For grade 1 injuries, the R.I.C.E method, pain and swelling relievers, and a few days or week or two of rest may be sufficient for your body to heal itself.

Professional physical therapy is needed for grade 2 and 3 injuries to restore strength and function and get you back to the activities you love. You’ll also need time off your feet to allow your body to heal safely. Your Axes physical therapist in South County, 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 rare, 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 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 South County, MO, our physical therapists specialize in pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation to make your surgery and recovery as successful as possible.

How Can Physical Therapy in South County, MO Treat My MCL Injury?

The goal of physical therapy, when dealing with any injury, is to implement safe and evidence-backed treatments, each aimed at helping a specific part of the body get back to optimal movement health. These treatments and exercises will, over time, build strength in the surrounding muscles, flexibility of ligaments and tendons, 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, passive movements carried about by your physical therapist to help restore normal functionality
Exercised performed by you later to regain strength
Exercises with elastic bands, weights, or cardio machines such as an elliptical
Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, which studies show can 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 help you make greater strength gains while lifting lighter weights
Athletic training and sports therapy for athletes who want to improve their performance

At Axes Physical Therapy in South County, MO, all of our treatment plans are as unique as each patient, and created in concert with your doctor, 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 South County, MO include:

MCL Injury South County, MO | Athletic Training | Sports Training | Physical Therapy Near South County

Call an Axes Physical Therapist in South County, 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, you can get back to how you used to feel. We know our clients trust us with their recovery, 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 South County, MO, call the location nearest you and request an appointment online.