What is a MCL tear?
An MCL tear is a common sporting injury that affects the knee and is characterised by tearing of the Medial Collateral Ligament of the knee. The MCL is located in the inner part of the knee joint and is responsible for joining the inner aspect of the femur (thigh bone) to the inner aspect of the tibia (shin bone).
MCL is one of the most important ligaments of the knee, giving stability and preventing the knee from bending inward. As MCL is a ligament, we can classify this injury as a soft tissue injury.
An MCL is most common during activities that involve twisting, bending or quick, sharp movements. When these movements are excessive and pushed past the limit that the ligament can withstand, a MCL tear can occur. Both direct and indirect impacts on the MCL can cause a tear. Some examples of how MCL tears happen include:
o A rugby player gets tackled on the outside of the knee joint.
o A tennis player twists and changes direction quickly while his foot is still planted.
o A netball player lands wrongly after going for a rebound.
There are 3 severities of a MCL tear. This ranges from a small partial tear that causes minimal pain and discomfort to a complete rupture of the MCL resulting in significant pain and incapacity to use the knee. These are Grade 1, Grade 2 & Grade 3.
Ø Grade 1 tear – Full function, small number of fibres are torn resulting in some pain. Few days to a week to heal enough to return to activities, such as sport.
Ø Grade 2 tear – Significant number of fibres are torn, moderate loss of function of the joint and general laxity. Can take 2 to 4 weeks to heal.
Ø Grace 3 tear – All fibres are ruptured; this results in knee instability with major loss of function. A grade 3 tear can also result in the menisci or cruciate ligaments being injured. 4 to 8 weeks to heal, unless there is damage to the ACL, which could make the recovery time longer.
The symptoms of a MCL tear can include a sudden onset of severe pain in the inner knee at point of injury. This is usually followed by inflammation and swelling of the knee with discomfort and stiffness and an inability to straighten the knee. Sometimes an audible “snap”, “tearing” or “popping” sound is heard at the time of injury. Diagnosing a MCL tear can include technologies such as MRI, X-ray or CT scans to confirm and determine the degree of the tear and also if other structures have been damaged within the knee.