Medial collateral ligament (MCL)

What is the MCL?

Your medial collateral ligament is the knee ligament on the inside of your knee connecting the thigh bone and the leg bone across the knee joint.

What causes MCL injuries?

The MCL is injured when the (valgus) force is too great for the ligament to resist and the ligament is overstretched. This can occur through a sharp change in direction, twisting the knee whilst the foot is fixed, landing wrong from a jump, or the most common a blunt force hit to the knee, such as in football tackle. The incident usually needs to happen at speed. Muscle weakness or incoordination predispose you to a ligament sprain or tear.

Signs and symptoms

• You heard a “pop” or “snap” when moving or exercising
• Swelling or bruising around the knee
• Restriction of movement, may not be able to straighten knee
• You are unable to weight-bear on your leg
• Your knee “gives way” or “buckles”.
• Pain with certain activities ie stairs, change of direction
• No pain at rest usually.

Treatment

• Reduce pain and inflammation.
• Normalise your joint range of motion.
• Strengthen your knee and lower limb
• Improve patellofemoral (kneecap) alignment
• Improve your proprioception, agility and balance
• Improve your technique and function eg walking, running, squatting, hopping and landing.
• Minimise your chance of re-injury.