MCL Injury | Woodhine Heights, MO Physical Therapy

MCL Injury in Woodhine Heights, 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 I be sidelines for? Will I ever be able to perform at the same level again? At Axes Physical Therapy in Woodhine Heights, MO, all of our physical and occupational therapists are committed to getting our patients back to sprinting down the court. While we’d like to be able to magically fix your MCL, we can make your recovery safe and effective through personalized, evidence-based treatment plans. Physical therapy has proven to be a fundamental component of recovering from any MCL injury. Our physical therapists in Woodhine Heights, MO are movement health experts. For treatment plans you know will be effective, call the Axes location nearest you or contact us online.

How the MCL Works

MCL stands for “medial collateral ligament.” A ligament is a fibrous of connective tissue that affixes 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 too far 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 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 acts as a secondary front and back stabilizer
• LCL (lateral collateral ligament), which connects the thigh bone to the fibula (the smaller bone between the knee and ankle) and prevents the knee from being forced too far outward

The knee is one of the largest joints we have. Correct 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. Certain physical therapy exercises and other physician-prescribed treatment plans have been proven to help those who have suffered an MCL injury manage their symptoms and return to optimal functionality.

What Types of MCL Injuries Are There?

Generally speaking, an MCL injury is either a sprain, which stretches the ligament farther than is naturally, 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 MCL injury refers to a sprain, or a tear where less than 10% of the the fibers in your MCL are torn. It’s typically a mild injury, and your knee largely remains stable. You will likely experience some tenderness and some soreness.
• Grade 2 — This is more significant tearing, generally to the more fibrous part of the ligament. Your knee will be slightly unstable, and the knee will likely be loose when manipulated manually. Symptoms of a grade 2 MCL injury generally include much more noticeable pain.
• Grade 3 — This injury is a complete tear to 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. The injury may actually caused by or accompanied by other serious knee injuries such as ACL tears.

However significant your MCL injuries, our licensed Woodhine Heights, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes can, along with your doctor, implement an exhaustive plan uniquely made for you and your injuries aimed at returning you to the life you’re used to without incurring further injury.

MCL Injuries: Causes and Symptoms

40% of all knee injuries involve damage to the MCL, LCL, ACL, or PCL, and most of the time that ligament is the MCL. MCL injuries occur due to the knee suddenly being forced too far inward. MCL injuries can also by the knee rotating too forcefully. They can also take place when landing or unnatural bending, such as if your foot stays in one place while your leg keeps moving.

Athletes in contact sports are the most likely to sustain an MCL injury. They are also common in those 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

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

• Hearing or feeling a popping sound or feeling
• Instability
• Pain or discomfort when trying to bear weight
• Contusions
• Tenderness on the inside of your knee
• Swelling, either where the MCL is located or the whole knee

Sometimes you may feel like your knee is “shaky”, or in other cases the knee feels too rigid. 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 Woodhine Heights, MO

MCL injuries are diagnosed in a doctor’s office, emergency room or at a physical therapy center. In the examination, your Woodhine Heights, 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 check for stability.

Most physical therapists or doctors with knowledge of movement health in Woodhine Heights, 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 radio waves to produce three-dimensional 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

You can also visit the Axes location nearest you for a free, no-obligation injury screening. While we will be able to diagnose your injury, Missouri Revised Statute §334.506 requires a prescription in order to officially begin physical therapy treatment.

How MCL Injuries are Treated in Woodhine Heights, MO

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

More significant tears will require professional physical therapy in order truly recover from your MCL injury and get 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 Woodhine Heights, MO can fit you for a knee brace to give your knee stability while it’s healing. Even with physical therapy, you’ll likely still continue the R.I.C.E. method and anti-inflammatory medication.

Surgery is typically only needed with severe grade 1 MCL injuries, or if the MCL tear is accompanied by an ACL tear or other damage to the structures of the knee. 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 be able to go home the day of the surgery. If your doctor thinks surgery is necessary, 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 Woodhine Heights, MO Treat My MCL Injury?

The goal of physical therapy, when dealing with any injury, is to implement safe, effective, and evidence-backed treatment methods based on each patient as an individual. Physical therapy slowly and effectively improves strength in the surrounding muscles, flexibility of ligaments and tendons, and range of motion to the joint 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 slowly get the MCL used to normal motion again
• 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 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 improve strength while lifting lighter weights
• Athletic training and sports therapy for athletes who want to reduce the risk of reinjury

At Axes Physical Therapy in Woodhine Heights, MO, all of our treatment plans are as unique as each patient, and created in concert with your physician, in order to get you the best patient outcome possible and get you back to doing what you love to do most.

Other injuries we help treat in Woodhine Heights, MO include:

• Physical Therapy Clinic
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
• Sciatica Treatment
• Sports Medicine
• Hand Pain Physical Therapy
• Foot & Ankle Pain Treatment
• Hip Pain Treatment
• Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Schedule an Appointment With an Axes Physical Therapist in Woodhine Heights, MO for Your MCL Injury

An MCL injury is scary and anxiety-inducing at first, especially if you’re used to being physically active, but with our help, you can get back to how you used to feel. We know you place a lot of trust in your physical therapists, 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 Woodhine Heights, MO, call the location nearest you and request an appointment online.