How can I treat an LCL injury at home?
Hi, yesterday I was noticing that what looks like my LCL was sliding up and down almost as if it was rubbing across my joint. It’s the next day and I have had knee pain/discomfort that’s gotten worse and worse. I feel clicking and popping and it feels off when I walk and go down stairs. I suspect it has something to do with my LCL.
How to get over a LCL knee sprain?
While elevating my knee and icing it, I read up on symptoms of ligament injuries. The only one that matched what I felt at the time of my pop and thereafter was an LCL injury (pain on the outside of my knee, numbness in my foot from stretching of the peroneal nerve, swelling, trouble bearing weight etc.)
What happens if you play with an LCL injury?
Next day it was stiff and sore and hurt to twist, physio said it was a damaged LCL and I had to have 3 months off training. Wore a knee brace to avoid any twisting or knocking for the first month and then started doing basic rehab workouts on it. Then started drilling and eventually rolling, wasn't fun though!
What is the best way to recover from LCL surgery?
I dislocated my knee and completely tore ACL, PCL, LCL and grade 2 MCL. Just had my third surgery yesterday and I only took 12 days off in the last 7 months since injury. So yes, work from home is possible. I just ordered a portable laptop desk to help me work from the bed while icing and elevating my knee.
What is the fastest way to heal an LCL injury?
Most LCL injuries can be treated at home with:Rest and protecting your knee.Ice or a cold pack.Wrapping your knee with an elastic bandage (compression).Propping up (elevating) your knee.Anti-inflammatory medicine.
How long does a strained LCL take to heal?
LCL tears usually heal after three to 12 weeks, depending on severity. You have to take care of yourself, though. Use crutches, ice your knee and follow your healthcare provider's instructions.Aug 19, 2021
How do you rehabilitate an LCL injury?
You will need a pillow for this exercise.Sit on the floor with your knees bent.Place a pillow between your knees.Put your hands slightly behind your hips for support.Squeeze the pillow by tightening the muscles on the inside of your thighs.Hold for 6 seconds, then rest for up to 10 seconds.Repeat 8 to 12 times.
Can u fully recover from a LCL injury?
It may take up to eight weeks to fully recover, depending on the grade of your injury. If the lateral collateral ligament was torn where it attaches to the thighbone (femur) or shinbone (tibia), the surgeon will reattach the ligament to the bone using large stitches or a metal bone staple.
Is cycling good for LCL injury?
Physical therapy may be helpful to diminish swelling and encourage return of full motion. Safe, strengthening activities, such as biking, should be performed daily as soon as pain permits.
How do you treat an LCL knee injury?
Nonsurgical Treatment for LCL (Lateral Collateral Ligament) TearsRest. Activities that cause knee pain, such as running or walking for long periods of time, should be avoided until pain and swelling goes away. ... Ice. ... Compression. ... Elevation.
How can I strengthen my knee collateral ligaments?
Quad setsSit with your affected leg straight and supported on the floor or a firm bed. Place a small, rolled-up towel under your knee. ... Tighten the thigh muscles of your affected leg by pressing the back of your knee down into the towel.Hold for about 6 seconds, then rest for up to 10 seconds.Repeat 8 to 12 times.
How do you strengthen weak knee ligaments?
Exercises to Ensure Knee StabilityStraight leg raises. Lie on your back with one knee bent and the other straight out on the floor. ... Squats. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms extended in front of you. ... Standing hamstring curls. ... Inner thigh stretch. ... Standing knee lift.
How do you strengthen your ligaments?
When exercising, use restraints to improve the strength of the ligaments and joints. Include several joint exercises such as squats, push-ups, pull-ups, and lunges with moderate resistance. For the best effect, complete them in sets up to 12 repetitions.Apr 23, 2018
Can LCL heal without surgery?
The good news for LCL injury patients is that the majority of LCL injuries can be treated without surgery. There are numerous effective non-operative treatments that can address the issues and symptoms of LCL injuries. These include: RICE: Rest, icing, compression, and elevation.Feb 1, 2018
Can you play sports with a torn LCL?
Once an LCL tear has fully healed, your long-term effects should be minimal. Recovery times differ depending on the severity of the injury: A minor, or grade 1, LCL tear can take from a few days to a week and a half to heal sufficiently for you to return to normal activities, including sports.
Knee weakness and chondromalacia
Significant grinding/crepitus in my knees. Used to powerlift. Stopped squatting years ago but continued stiff leg deadlifts and other stuff, minus leg extensions. Lived for years just ignoring the noise and babying my knees as much as possible. There never was any real pain, in my day to day, just cracking/crepitus.
Recommendations for working out after knee surgery?
27/F, I had surgery on my right knee in December 2020 for a tibial plateau fracture. It happened when my dog was running too fast and collided with my leg, and the impact ended up causing a hairline fracture and depressing the bone quite a bit. I needed bone graft, a few screws, and a plate to repair it.
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.
What sports are at risk for LCL sprain?
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.
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.
What is a grade 1 sprain?
LCL sprains, like other ligament injuries, can be broken down into the following three categories: Grade 1: A grade 1 injury involves a small number of stretched ligament fibers, but no tearing. Grade 2: A grade 2 injury involves partial tearing of the ligament fibers.
How to abduct a hip?
For hip abduction, start by lying on your side with your injured leg on top. Then, lift your leg as high as you can while making sure the toes are pointing forward. Hold for 5-10 seconds, then relax. For hip adduction, flip over so your injured leg is on the bottom.
How to do quadriceps sets?
To do quadriceps sets correctly, extend your legs in front of you, flex your feet, and contract your quadriceps. Hold for 10 seconds, then relax.
Why is LCL reconstruction important?
LCL/PLC reconstruction is important to avoid rotational instability of knee and subsequent cartilage damage. Depending on the extent of the damage, we are able to reattach the ligament with sutures or reconstruct it using donor tissue.
How to heal a knee injury?
When the pain and swelling are gone, start exercises with a physical therapist to restore strength and range of motion of knee. Recovery is seen depending upon grade of injury.
What is the pain in the outside of the knee?
Pain that can be mild or acute. Swelling and tenderness along the outside of the knee. A locking or catching in the joint when it is moved. Numbness or weakness in the foot may occur if the peroneal nerve, which is near the ligament is stretched during the injury or is pressed by swelling in surrounding tissues.
What is the function of the lateral collateral ligament?
The LCL is on the outside of the knee connecting the thighbone (femur) to the smaller bone in the lower leg (fibular). Its main function is to avoid varus stress across the knee (where the knee buckles outwards).
Can a doctor miss an ACL injury?
A careful eye is needed to diagnose a posterolateral and lateral injury; even an experienced physician can miss it, especially when it’s associated with an ACL injury, as the focus of the doctor and patient is on the ACL reconstruction.
How to heal a LCL injury?
LCL Injury Recovery Treatment: 1 MOST IMPORTANT treatment for lcl injury is RESTING from any activity that involves running. 2 Take 2-4 weeks to rest the knee. 3 Apply RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate) to accelerate the healing process. 4 Anti-inflammatory medicine can help with swelling. 5 Knee exercises will help with the mobility and strengthening 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.
What is grade 1 ligament injury?
Grade I injury to the LCL ligament is caused by a mild sprain, that stretches the LCL ligament too far, causing pain when the ligament is touched or whenever the knee is fully bent.
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.
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 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.
Can you have surgery for a LCL tear?
As I mentioned above, only very severe LCL ligament tear will require surgery, however each degree of the LCL tear treatment will require different LCL rehab steps to properly heal. Time away from activity is the biggest factor for different severity rehabilitation.