I was playing basketball Monday night and injured my left knee. Obviously my doctor was closed yesterday and even though his office is open today, he is off on Wednesday's, so it is only Nurse Practitioners there. I think I am going to wait to see him tomorrow. I really feel it may be my MCL based off of where the swelling and pain is but should know more tomorrow about the severity. Have you had an MCL injury and what was the treatment you had? Since I am posting this on The Paddock I fully expect to get a few wise cracks but that just goes with the territory I guess.
Anyone ever had a MCL strain or tear?
- Thread starter Ryan Lemonds Hair
- Start date
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Had some MCL damage about ten years ago & I had arthroscopic surgery to trim it. I guess I was lucky, since I didn't have a full tear. I was in physical therapy two days later & everything went really well.
Spica Orbit
Yes there are people who have had MCL strains or tears.
Have an Orthopedic Surgeon examine it. That's about all you can do. Good luck with it.
Correct. Otherwise there wouldn’t be a medical term for it.
Had ACL/MCL surgery many years ago when they sliced open the side of your knee . In my case they attached the ligament to the bone with a staple. I was in a cast from my thigh to my toes for 6 weeks, my quad turned into jello and I rehabbed for 6 more weeks. The staple is still there all these years later and although I don't play basketball much anymore, I had many more years on wooden courts and playgrounds afterwards. It's even more routine now with just a few small scars.
Only if I could get a robotic limb that would make me run faster so I could be like Benny Snell.
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Well, it's been ten years & I'm having a hard time remembering yesterday, nowadays. Now I'll have to dig up my medical records to see what the Doc actually did to me, but whatever it was, it worked.
Spica Orbit
-->Go to primary care Dr......and possibly get a generic neoprene knee sleeve. He'll likely send you to PT.
-->Go to PT....hopefully one that is good. If it's purely a MCL sprain, the PT will be able to help you through the whole thing.
The MCL is essential to the stability of the knee which is why you feel it quite a bit with general walking, weight bearing, etc. Also, because you can aggravate it with general walking, it can take a long time to recover. Also the MCL (being a ligament) is not greatly supplied with blood.....so, healing is slow.
If the PT is worth their salt, they will be able to tell you in a few wks if things are going to go well. If things aren't going well, you need to get in to see an Orthopedic Specialist. A portion of the MCL attaches to the medial meniscus.......which "could" indicate a tear. Now, it's not all doom and gloom. Sometimes just more time is needed in PT. But on the rare occasion you do need surgery. And, yes, surgery for a MCL/MMT is far less common than other knee surgeries. In the vast majority of the instances, PT will get you there.
--Signed a ATC turned PT for a prominent Orthopedic group.
And, no, an MRI is not needed and is a waste of time and money right now. An x-ray, on the other hand, is worth the time/money right now.....but is not 100% needed.
-->Go to PT....hopefully one that is good. If it's purely a MCL sprain, the PT will be able to help you through the whole thing.
The MCL is essential to the stability of the knee which is why you feel it quite a bit with general walking, weight bearing, etc. Also, because you can aggravate it with general walking, it can take a long time to recover. Also the MCL (being a ligament) is not greatly supplied with blood.....so, healing is slow.
If the PT is worth their salt, they will be able to tell you in a few wks if things are going to go well. If things aren't going well, you need to get in to see an Orthopedic Specialist. A portion of the MCL attaches to the medial meniscus.......which "could" indicate a tear. Now, it's not all doom and gloom. Sometimes just more time is needed in PT. But on the rare occasion you do need surgery. And, yes, surgery for a MCL/MMT is far less common than other knee surgeries. In the vast majority of the instances, PT will get you there.
--Signed a ATC turned PT for a prominent Orthopedic group.
And, no, an MRI is not needed and is a waste of time and money right now. An x-ray, on the other hand, is worth the time/money right now.....but is not 100% needed.
Thank you for the reply @BlueRaider22 I don't think it is a complete tear. I just have a lot of soreness and some swelling on the inside of my knee just below the knee cap.
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If it happened Monday....meaning it's only 2 days old.
-Can you put weight on it?
-Can you function fairly normally?
If so, I might be inclined just to ice and avoid serious aggravation until the wkend. It might just heal quickly. The first 48-72 hrs after an injury are the worst as far as pain and swelling are concerned.
Also, swelling just below the knee cap? Are we sure you're talking about the MCL?
"Just below the knee cap" would be more where the patellar tendon would be.
As a general rule, swelling in the knee isn't anything to be too concerned about. The knees (and also ankles) have a tendency to swell fairly easily. While it "could" mean something sinister is going on, often times it's just swelling.
I can walk on it but if it twist certain ways it hurts like a mf'er. It is on the side of my knee but the reference to being below the knee was more to the location on the side where it hurts and has a knot. The pain is about where the MCL is indicated on your diagram.
Also, can't rule out Pes Anserine ("Goose Foot") bursitis either. Given that your injury happened playing basketball, it's far more likely to be an MCL sprain......but pes anserine issues might be in play. Give it a few days of rest and see if it all calms down.
No matter the case, the PT should be able to take care of everything.
Ripped my patella tendon completely apart 40 years ago while showing off on the diving board. Knee cap was halfway up my thigh when I pulled myself out of the pool. Operated on the next day and again one year later to cleanup scar tissue. Had a great surgeon.