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MCL Repair Specialist

A tear to your medial collateral ligament -- more commonly referred to as your MCL -- can result in severe pain and intense swelling. Not only does this injury impinge your ability to run and jump, but it also prevents you from completing basic movements such as walking or standing. When noninvasive treatment such as icing, bracing, and physical therapy fails to provide you with the healing you need, it may be time to consider surgical treatment.

At Barrington Orthopedic Specialists, our highly-trained, experienced MCL repair specialists can successfully treat your torn MCL with surgical treatment. We’ll work alongside you to not only provide you with an effective repair or reconstruction, but with a personalized recovery and rehabilitation plan to ensure a quick, heatly recovery.

If you’re ready to find relief from your torn MCL, schedule your first consultation with the team at Barrington Orthopedic Specialists today. If you’re in an emergency situation, visit the Immediate Care Clinic at our Schaumburg, IL location.

What Is A Medial Collateral Ligament Repair?

The lateral collateral ligament (LCL) is one of the four knee ligaments. It spans the distance from the end of the femur (thigh bone) to the top of the fibula (thin, outer, lower leg bone) and is on the outside of the knee.

The lateral collateral ligament resists widening of the outside of the joint. A lateral collateral ligament injury happens from a direct force from the side of the knee, causing moderate to severe knee pain and ligament injury which often leads to knee surgery.

It is a much less frequent ligament injury than the medial collateral ligament (MCL) but commonly occurs with other ligament injury to the knee.

The MCL spans the distance from the end of the femur (thigh bone) to the top of the tibia (shin bone) and is on the inside of the knee joint. The medial collateral ligament resists widening of the inside of the joint, or prevents “opening-up” of the knee.

Nonsurgical Treatment

Ice. Icing your injury is important in the healing process. The proper way to ice an injury is to use crushed ice directly to the injured area for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, with at least 1 hour between icing sessions. Chemical cold products (“blue” ice) should not be placed directly on the skin and are not as effective.

Bracing. Your knee must be protected from the same sideways force that caused the injury. You may need to change your daily activities to avoid risky movements. Your doctor may recommend a brace to protect the injured ligament from stress. To further protect your knee, you may be given crutches to keep you from putting weight on your leg.

Physical therapy. Your doctor may suggest strengthening exercises. Specific exercises will restore function to your knee and strengthen the leg muscles that support it.

Surgical Treatment

Most isolated collateral ligament injuries can be successfully treated without surgery. If the collateral ligament is torn in such a way that it cannot heal or is associated with other ligament injuries, your doctor may suggest surgery to repair it.

More severe injuries with instability of the knee may require surgical repair or reconstruction. Repair may be performed for injuries within a few weeks if the tear of the ligament is from the upper or lower attachment.

If the ligament is torn in the middle or the injury is older than three weeks, then a reconstruction is performed to stabilize the knee.

The reconstruction can be performed using a tendon graft (either from the patient or a cadaver tendon) through bone tunnels.