The Medial Collateral Ligament or the MCL is one of the two important collateral ligaments. It is located on the inside of the knee joint and associates the femur or thighbone with the shinbone or the tibia.
The MCL may get torn when the knee is bent in a wrong way while landing or when something hard hits the knee forcefully. This type of injury usually occurs mostly when one is engaged in skiing and American football. In American football, the guards and center players get this injury because of their cleats, a US boot that is worn before playing football and baseball. To reduce the number of MCL injuries, companies are now trying to develop better cleats.
According to sports doctors, the PRICE protocol should be followed immediately after an injury occurs. PRICE stands for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. For protection, use cohesive bandages. These bandages stick to themselves and help in reducing the swelling. Rest is highly recommended as well; avoid engaging in any sports activity while still injured.
Ice packs should also be used for twenty minutes after the injury, and repeated after every six hours. It will cool down the tissues which will reduce the pain and prevent further damage to the tissues. Air cast Knee Cryo/Cuff is a method for ice therapy and can be used to reduce the pain and swelling by providing cold water and compression for six hours. This method is used for home treatment.
The last is elevation, which means that your knee should be elevated.
However, if over 10 percent of tissues have been damaged, then rehabilitation under the supervision of a licensed physiotherapist may be required to prevent the recurrence of the injury. When the MCL is completely torn and other ligaments are also injured, surgery may be recommended. Arthroscopic surgery may also be required in cases of serious injuries. It uses a camera placed in the knee to enable the surgeons to view the damaged structures directly.
Most of the patients who have this kind of injury are asked to use a knee brace for support and to limit the knee's movements.
After injury the patient may feel weakness; it is normal. He can perform proprioception exercises while recovering; it will help in healing the injury soon. Wobble Board is a tool that can be used at home to continue proprioception exercises.
Do not try to diagnose the injury or heal the pain or swelling by yourself. In case of any injury to your knee, immediately consult your physician.
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