Everything You Need to Know About a MCL Tear
What is a MCL Tear?
An MCL tear is an injury to the ligament on the inner side of your knee. The medial collateral ligament (MCL) connects your thigh bone (femur) to your shin bone (tibia) and helps keep your knee stable during side-to-side movements. A tear can range from a mild stretch to a full rupture, causing pain, swelling, and instability in the knee.
An analogy…
Think of the MCL like a strong seatbelt for your knee. If it’s pulled too hard or stretched too far, the fibers can snap or fray, just like a seatbelt under too much force.
What are other names that a MCL tear can be called?
MCL Injury, Medial Collateral Ligament Tear, Torn MCL, MCL Sprain, Sprained MCL, Ruptured MCL
What causes a MCL tear?
- Direct blows to the outer knee
- Twisting or awkward landings
- Sudden changes in direction
What are the signs and symptoms of a MCL tear?
- Pain on the inside of the knee
- Swelling and tenderness along the ligament
- Stiffness or difficulty fully bending or straightening the knee
- Instability or a feeling of giving way
- Bruising along the inner knee
- Popping sound at the time of injury in some cases
What tests are used to diagnose a MCL tear?
Valgus Stress Test: The knee is pushed inward to assess MCL stability.
How long does a MCL tear take to heal?
- Grade 1 (mild stretch): 1–3 weeks
- Grade 2 (partial tear): 4–6 weeks
- Grade 3 (complete tear): 8–12 weeks or longer
How does a MCL tear happen?
- Excessive force to the outer side of the knee
- Common in contact sports
- Can happen during a fall with twisting of the knee
What treatment can help a MCL tear?
- Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation (RICE)
- Bracing or taping
- Manual therapy (soft tissue massage and joint mobilisation)
What exercises or stretches can I do for a MCL tear?
- Quad sets and straight leg raises
- Heel slides
- Glute bridges and wall slides
- Step-ups and mini-squats
- Hamstring curls and balance exercises
- Calf, hamstring, and hip flexor stretches
- Low-impact cardio like cycling or pool walking
What products can help with a MCL tear?
Isometric VMO strengthening
Lie on your back with your elbows supporting your upper body.
Place a foam roller underneath your affected knee.
Turn your hip on the affected side outwards slightly.
At all times keep the heel of this leg in contact with the bed.
Push your knee downwards into the foam roller, keeping the heel in contact with the bed.
Hold this contraction relax and repeat.
Straight Leg Raises (SLR)
Sit with your resting leg bent and pull your toes up towards you.
Tighten your thigh muscle, pressing the back of your knee into the floor.
Keeping your knee locked straight, lift your leg off the floor.
Hold this position before you return your leg to the floor.
Make sure your hips remain in contact with the floor at all times, and your knee remains straight.
Heel slides
Lie on your back with your legs straight.
Bend the symptomatic leg as far as you can, sliding your heel towards your buttocks, keeping the knee pointing to the ceiling throughout this movement.
Slide the heel back down, reversing the movement until your leg is straight again.
Calf stretch standing
In a standing position, hold on to a table or chair for support and step the symptomatic leg back behind you.
Keep the heel on the floor and the toes pointing forwards.
Bend the front knee, moving your body forwards, until you feel a stretch in the back of the calf.
Make sure your heel does not come off the floor and your back knee does not bend.
