How long does it take to recover from a LCL injury?
May 13, 2020 · Sometimes, an LCL injury occurs with another knee injury, like a torn ACL or a torn meniscus. Most people return home the same day as their surgery, but in a few instances, an overnight stay is recommended. After your surgery, you’ll need to use crutches for about six weeks while the knee heals and “restabilizes.”.
How long does a Grade 3 LCL tear take to heal?
How long does it take to recover from LCL tears? Recovery time depends on the grade (severity) of your LCL tear. Grade 1 (mild): Three to four weeks. Grade 2 (moderate): Eights to 12 weeks. Grade 3 (severe): Eight to 12 weeks. Do LCL tears heal on their own? With time and at-home treatments, your LCL tear might heal on its own.
What is the treatment for LCL tear?
LCL Injury Recovery Treatment: Grade II LCL injury requires 4-6 weeks (or longer) rest from any activity that involves running. Use of hinged knee brace in the early stages (first 2 weeks) for injured knee ligament support whenever the knee is …
How to get over a LCL knee sprain?
Goals: Range of motion exercises are to start at generally 3 weeks (ROM 30 to 90 degrees), to progress to (30 to 110 degrees) by 6 weeks. Neuromuscular quad control and graft protection are key in this phase. Restrictions: In general, in this phase the brace is locked at 30 degrees to limit full extension.
Diagnosis and Tests
When you see your healthcare provider (which you should do as soon can), they’ll ask you questions about your injury and look at your knee. They’ll check for the following:
Prevention
Although you can’t prevent a knee injury like an LCL tear, there are some steps you can take to reduce your risk:
Living With
For a while, you’ll have to use crutches or a knee brace. Your healthcare provider will tell you how long you need to wait before putting weight on your knee. You’ll be back to walking normally after your LCL tear heals.
How long does it take to recover from a LCL tear?
RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) to help with faster recovery. Knee exercises to strengthen the LCL ligament 4 weeks after an LCL tear. Athletes will usually need 3 - 6 months before returning to the sport, and should only return when there is no pain in the LCL ligament area or any instability noticeable.
How long does it take to recover from a grade 2 LCL injury?
Grade II LCL injury requires 4-6 weeks (or longer) rest from any activity that involves running. Use of hinged knee brace in the early stages (first 2 weeks) for injured knee ligament support whenever the knee is bent. RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate). Use of anti-inflammatory medication to help with swelling.
How long does it take for a grade 2 knee ligament to heal?
Grade II LCL Injury will follow with more severe pain, swelling and instability of the knee. Grade II LCL injury requires 4-6 weeks (or longer) rest from any activity that involves running.
What is grade III LCL?
Grade III LCL injury major indicator is the instability of the knee and inability to walk as the knee feels loose and buckling under weight put on the leg. Pain is not an indicator, and in many cases Grade II injury may feel much more painful than a Grade III complete tear of the LCL ligament.
What is the best treatment for a LCL injury?
RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate). Use of anti-inflammatory medication to help with swelling. Knee exercises once the pain subsides will help with the mobility and strengthening of the injured LCL ligament.
How long should I rest my knee?
Take 2-4 weeks to rest the knee. Apply RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate) to accelerate the healing process. Anti-inflammatory medicine can help with swelling. Knee exercises will help with the mobility and strengthening of the LCL ligament.
How long should you use a knee brace?
Use of crutches or a knee brace is recommended during the first couple weeks after the injury occurs. Immobilizing the knee should not last more than a week, because early range of motion will help in the healing process. Once able to bend the knee, athletes should start using the stationary bicycle.
How long does it take to heal a grade II LCL tear?
These patients may complain of instability when attempting to cut or pivot. The pain and swelling are more significant, and usually, a period of three to four weeks of rest is necessary.
When is the LCL torn?
The LCL is most commonly torn during sports activities or traumatic injuries (falls, etc.). The LCL is torn when the knee bends inwards excessively , and the LCL is stretched too far. LCL tears are graded similarly to other ligament tears on a scale of I to III:
What is grade 3 LCL tear?
Grade III LCL tears commonly occur alongside other injuries to the knee, most especially tears and sprains of the cruciate ligaments that connect the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). How Knee Ligament Injuries Are Diagnosed.
Why is the LCL important?
The LCL helps to prevent excessive side-to-side movement of the knee joint. When the LCL is torn, the knee joint may bend too far inwards when stressed. People who injure their knee ligaments may develop sensations of instability of the knee joint. Instability is the symptom of the knee wanting to buckle or give-out.
What is the LCL?
Stuart Hershman, MD. Updated on August 30, 2020. The lateral collateral ligament, or LCL, is one of the four major knee ligaments. The LCL connects the end of the thigh bone (the femur) to the top of the smaller shin bone (fibula), on the outside of the knee. The LCL helps to prevent excessive side-to-side movement of the knee joint.
What can I do to help my knee heal?
Activities including sports should be avoided until the ligament is healed. A brace can help to support the knee to prevent stress on the healing LCL. Anti-inflammatory drugs: Anti-inflammatory medications can help to control swelling and prevent inflammation.
What is the procedure to repair a collateral ligament?
Surgery. When the lateral collateral ligament is completely torn, a surgical procedure is typically recommended to either repair or reconstruct the ligament. When the ligament is torn at the location of the attachment to the bone, a surgical repair may be possible.
How long does it take for a torn LCL to heal?
A grade 2 LCL tear recovery typically takes between three and eight weeks.
How to treat a LCL tear?
Even for severe LCL tears, the treatment process begins with immediate attention and continued at-home care. As soon as the injury occurs, begin the RICE protocol—rest, ice, compression, elevation—and consult your doctor as soon as possible. He or she will likely recommend some of the treatment options below.
What is grade 1 LCL tear?
Grade 1. A grade 1 LCL tear means 10% or less of the ligament’s fibers are torn. While still enough to restrict mobility for a few days to a week, a full recovery is possible with careful and consistent at-home treatment.
What is the LCL?
The lateral collateral ligament, or LCL, is one of four major ligaments in the k nee. It runs on the outside of the joint.
How long does it take to recover from a grade 2 sprain?
Since the severity of grade 2 sprains can vary widely, home care or professional medical attention may be needed. Full recovery can range take from two to six weeks.
Can a LCL tear keep you out of commission?
LCL Tear - The Complete Injury Guide. Knee injuries come in all shapes and sizes , from passing aches to long-lasting sprains that can keep you out of commission for months. The first step in any treatment process is learning the difference. While an LCL tear may be less common than closely-related knee sprains, ...
Can a LCL tear?
The LCL can become damaged after sudden or excessive force. Just like a rubber band, this stretchy ligament can be torn, either partially or completely. Depending on the percentage of damaged fibers, the injury can be mild or severe.
How to recover from a LCL injury?
When doing a hip flexion exercise, start by lying on your back. Bend the knee of your healthy leg and extend the injured leg out in front of you.
How to help a LCL?
Lift the injured leg until it hovers about five inches off the floor. Hold for 5-10 seconds, then relax. #3. Hip Abduction and Adduction. Hip abduction and adduction exercises will help strengthen the hips and inner thigh muscles to better support the LCL.
How to speed up recovery from knee sprain?
In addition to performing these exercises, there are some other knee sprain treatment steps you can take to speed up the recovery process. The following are all great to add to your routine while you let your LCL heal: Spend plenty of time resting and icing the injury.
What percentage of knee ligament injuries are lateral collateral ligament sprains?
In fact, they only account for approximately two percent of all knee ligament injuries.
Can a basketball player injure their LCL?
Many athletes are at risk of experiencing an LCL sprain, especially football players, basketball players, and baseball players, as well as those whose sports require a lot of quick direction changes. One doesn’t have to be an athlete to injure their LCL, though. Other common causes of LCL sprains include:
What is the LCL?
The LCL is a cord-like structure of the arcuate ligament complex, together with the biceps femoris tendon, popliteus muscle and tendon, popliteal meniscal and popliteal fibular ligaments, oblique popliteal, arcuate and fabellofibular ligaments and lateral gastrocnemius muscle.
What is the pain of a LCL injury?
Patients with an acute LCL injury will present with a history of an acute incident which most commonly consisted of a blow to the medial knee while in full extension or extreme non contact varus bending. Pain, swelling and ecchymosis are often present at the lateral joint line along with difficulty in full weight bearing. Less common complaints consist of a thrust gait, foot kicking during mid stance, paresthesia down the lateral lower extremity as well as weakness and/or foot drop.
What is the function of the LCL?
The LCL is a strong connection between the lateral epicondyle of the femur and the head of the fibula, with the function to resist varus stress on the knee and tibial external rotation and thus a stabilizer of the knee. When the knee is flexed to more than 30°, the LCL is loose. The ligament is strained when the knee is in extension.
What is an ultrasound for LCL?
Ultrasound- An effective tool used when a rapid diagnosis of LCL injury is needed. Upon evaluation, an LCL injury may be evident if a thickened and hypo echoic LCL is present. If there is a complete tear, an ultrasound may show increased edema, dynamic laxity, and/or a lack of fiber continuity of the LCL.
What sports have the highest likelihood of LCL injury?
The LCL most commonly occurs in sports (40%) with high velocity pivoting and jumping such as soccer basketball, skiing, football or hockey. Tennis and gymnastics have been shown to have the highest likelihood of an isolated LCL injury.
What is the purpose of the lateral collateral ligament?
The lateral collateral ligament (LCL) or fibular collateral ligament, is one of the major stabilizers of the knee joint with a primary purpose of preventing excess varus and posterior-lateral rotation of the knee. Although less frequent than other ligament injuries, an injury to the lateral collateral ligament ...
What is collateral ligament injury?
In the United States, 25% of the patients who present to the emergency room with acute knee pain have a collateral ligament injury. Adults aged between 20-34 and 55-65 years old have been shown to have the highest incidence. Of the collateral ligament injuries, MCL injuries are more commonly seen over LCL injuries. Limited studies have shown that isolated LCL injuries occur more often in women and in high contact sports.