Everything You Need to Know About a Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) Tear
What is a LCL Tear?
An LCL tear is an injury to the ligament on the outer side of your knee. The lateral collateral ligament connects your thigh bone (femur) to your shin bone (fibula) and helps keep your knee stable, especially during side-to-side movements. A tear can range from a mild stretch to a full rupture, often causing pain and instability in the outer knee.
An analogy…
Think of the LCL like a rope that keeps a gate from swinging too far open. If that rope gets overstretched or snaps, the gate becomes wobbly and unstable, just like your knee after an LCL injury.
What are other names that LCL tear can be called?
- Lateral Collateral Ligament Injury
- LCL Sprain
- LCL Rupture
- Outer Knee Ligament Tear
What causes a LCL tear?
LCL tears usually happen when there is a force pushing the knee inward while the foot is planted, like during a tackle from the inside, a fall, or a sudden twist. Other causes include:
- Sudden changes in direction
- Direct blows to the inside of the knee
- High-impact sports injuries
- Hyperextension of the knee
- Landing awkwardly during jumping sports
What are the signs and symptoms of a LCL tear?
- Pain on the outer side of the knee
- Swelling and tenderness along the ligament
- Feeling of looseness or instability, especially with side movements
- Bruising near the outer knee
- Stiffness or difficulty fully bending or straightening the leg
- In more severe tears: a popping sound or the knee giving way
What tests are used to diagnose a LCL tear?
- Varus stress test: the knee is pushed inward to assess LCL stability
- Palpation: pressing along the ligament to locate pain or a gap
- Range of motion and strength testing: to evaluate joint function
- MRI scan: confirms the location and severity of the tear
- X-ray: used to check for fractures or bone avulsion (where the ligament pulls part of the bone off)
How long does a LCL tear take to heal?
Recovery time depends on the severity (grade) of the tear:
- Grade 1 (mild stretch): 1–3 weeks
- Grade 2 (partial tear): 4–6 weeks
- Grade 3 (complete tear): 8–12 weeks or longer — may require surgery, especially if combined with other ligament injuries
How does a LCL tear happen?
An LCL tear happens when there is excessive stress on the outer knee, usually from a sudden force pushing the knee inward. This is common in sports with contact or cutting motions, like football, rugby, skiing, or basketball. It can also happen from falls, awkward landings, or car accidents.
What treatment can help a LCL tear?
- Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation (RICE)
- Bracing or taping to protect and support the knee during healing
- Osteopathy for strength, mobility, and stability
- Manual therapy: massage and joint mobilisation
- Surgery (for grade 3 tears or when other structures are also damaged)
What exercises or stretches can I do for a LCL tear?
- Quad sets and straight leg raises
- Heel slides to restore range of motion
- Side-lying leg lifts and glute bridges
- Step-ups and mini-squats
- Hamstring curls and resistance band knee stability work
- Balance training (e.g. single-leg stands)
- Calf, hamstring, and hip flexor stretches
What products can help with a LCL Tear?
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A hip flexor strain happens when one of the muscles at the front of your hip, mainly the iliopsoas or rectus femoris, gets overstretched or torn. It’s a common injury in sports that involve kicking, sprinting, or sudden movements, causing pain at the front of the hip or groin.
An analogy…
Think of the hip flexor muscles like strong elastic bands that lift your knee toward your chest. If they are stretched too quickly or too far, they can tear like a snapping rubber band.
What are other names that a hip flexor strain can be called?
Hip Flexor Injury, Iliopsoas Strain, Psoas Strain, Hip Flexor Tear, Strained Iliopsoas Muscle, Torn Iliopsoas Muscle, Pulled Hip Flexor
What causes a hip flexor strain?
The hip flexors are a group of muscles that help you lift your thigh toward your body. A strain happens when the muscle fibres are overloaded, usually from a sudden burst of force or a rapid stretch beyond their limit. This causes small (or large) tears in the muscle or its tendon near the pelvis.
What are the signs and symptoms of a hip flexor strain?
- Sharp pain at the front of the hip or groin area
- Tenderness when pressing the hip flexor muscles
- Pain with lifting the knee, sprinting, kicking, or climbing stairs
- Stiffness or weakness in the hip, especially when bending forward
- Swelling or bruising in the front of the hip
- Pain when stretching the hip backward
What tests are used to diagnose a hip flexor strain?
Palpation: Feeling for tenderness in the front of the hip
Resisted hip flexion test: Pain when lifting the knee against resistance
Stretching tests: Extending the hip backward reproduces symptoms
How long does a hip flexor strain take to heal?
Grade 1 (mild) strains often heal in 1 to 2 weeks. Grade 2 (moderate) strains usually take 3 to 6 weeks. Grade 3 (severe) strains (significant tearing) can take 8 to 12 weeks or more to fully recover.
How does a hip flexor strain happen?
- Sudden sprinting or kicking movements
- Explosive acceleration or direction changes
- Tight hip flexor muscles
- Poor warm-up or muscle preparation
- Weak glutes and core, causing the hip flexors to overwork
- Fatigue or previous hip injuries increasing the risk
What treatment can help a hip flexor strain?
- Relative rest from aggravating activities early on
- Ice application for the first 48–72 hours to control swelling
- Manual therapy (massage, dry needling, and stretching)
- Progressive strengthening and controlled stretching of the hip flexors
- Postural retraining and core strengthening
- Gradual return to running, kicking, and sport-specific drills
What exercises or stretches can I do for a hip flexor strain?
- Isometric hip flexor holds
- Glute and core strengthening exercises
- Gentle hip flexor stretches
- Straight leg raises to rebuild control
What products can help with a hip flexor strain?