Symptoms of LCL injuries include: Mild or severe pain. Instability or buckling of the knee. Swelling along the exterior of the knee.
What does a LCL tear feel like?
The symptoms of an LCL injury are similar to other ligament injuries. You may experience pain and tenderness along the outside of the knee, along with swelling. Some people also describe a feeling of instability in their knee when walking, as if the knee may give out, lock or catch.
Where is LCL pain located?
A lateral collateral ligament (LCL) tear is a knee injury that causes pain, swelling and bruising. Your LCL is a band of tissue located on the outside of your knee (the side that faces away from your body).
Does LCL tear require surgery?
Lateral collateral ligament tears do not heal as well as medial collateral ligament tears do. Grade 3 lateral collateral ligament tears may require surgery. In some cases, all that is required is rest, wearing a brace, taking pain relievers such as ibuprofen and having physical therapy.
How do you treat a LCL tear?
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 are you out if you tear your LCL?
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. A grade 2 tear can take from two to four weeks.
Should I ice LCL tear?
Put ice or a cold pack on your knee for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Try to do this every 1 to 2 hours (when you’re awake) for the first 3 days after your injury or until the swelling goes down.
How long does a sprained LCL take to heal?
For severe Grade III MCL and LCL sprains, doctors may perform surgery to repair the torn knee ligaments. Recovery time for an MCL or LCL sprain is usually between four to six weeks.
How do you know if you have an LCL injury?
While symptoms like numbness and swelling often indicate a more serious injury, a minor injury might not display itself with any of these common LCL injury signs. If you think you might have injured your LCL, these are the signs you should look out for: How Do You Diagnose An LCL injury?
What are the symptoms of a Grade 3 LCL tear?
The pain and swelling are more significant, and usually, a period of three to four weeks of rest is necessary. Grade III LCL tear: A grade III injury is a complete tear of the LCL. Patients have significant pain and swelling, and often have difficulty bending the knee. Instability, or giving out, is a common finding with grade III LCL tears.
How long does it take for a torn LCL to heal?
Depending on how bad your injury was, your knee may heal within weeks, or it may be a matter of months. Once you feel stronger and have no pain, your doctor can check so see if your knee has healed and is stable. After that, you should be able to play sports again. Cedars-Sinai: “Lateral collateral ligament (LCL) tears.”
What should I do if I hurt my LCL while playing?
If an accident does happen and you think you might have hurt your LCL, ice and elevate the area immediately. Whatever you do, do not keep playing on a hurt LCL. Get to the doctor or emergency room as fast as you can to prevent a small injury from becoming a worse one.
