Collateral Ligament Sprains
What are the collateral ligaments? What do they do? And what happens when you sprain them?
What are the collateral ligaments and what do they do?
Ligaments are ‘ropes’ of tissue that connect bone to bone. There are several of them in your knee joint and two of these are the medial collateral ligament (MCL), which sits on the inner side of your knee, and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) which sits on the outer side of the joint. These ligaments are stabilisers. They enable the knee joint to safely rotate and prevent the joint from extending too far inwards or outwards.
What causes a collateral ligament injury?
Injury is usually the result of twisting or impact, most commonly in sports. Sports which involve high impact collisions and/or sudden changes of direction (e.g. football, rugby, skiing) carry an increased risk of collateral ligament injury. MCL injuries are the more common of the two collateral ligament injuries. LCL injuries tend to be the more severe.
What are the symptoms of a collateral ligament injury?
Your symptoms will depend on the level of injury. If you suffer a Grade 1 collateral ligament sprain (that is, where the ligament is stretched but not torn) you may feel pain along the inner or outer side of the knee and you may experience swelling.
More severe sprains will involve a partial tear of the ligament. Here, in addition to the above symptoms, your knee joint may feel unstable, as though it may give way. You may also feel the knee locking or ‘catching’.
The highest category of sprain isn’t really a sprain at all. Here, the ligament will have either have ruptured (completely torn) or have been pulled free from the bone. You may even hear a pop as the injury occurs. Find more about medial ligament rupture and lateral ligament rupture.
How do you diagnose a collateral ligament sprain?
Alex may diagnose your collateral ligament sprain through a combination of physical examination and MRI scan. He may also use an x-ray to check whether/how the bone has been affected by the injury. Contact our Gloucestershire knee clinic for a swift diagnosis.
How do you treat knee a collateral ligament sprain?
Low grade sprains don’t usually require surgery. More serious ruptures, particularly of the LCL, may.
Find more about treating collateral ligament sprains in Gloucestershire with Alex Dodds.
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