A lateral collateral ligament (LCL) tear or sprain is an injury that results from a tear or sprain to the LCL. The LCL is a band of tissue running along the outside of your knee. Its role is to hold the knee bones together so that the joint will remain stable and capable of bearing weight. Typical symptoms of an LCL injury are pain and swelling around the knee joint and possible knee instability in the most severe cases. Torn LCLs tend to happen more frequently to males than females. Like ACL injuries, LCL injuries tend to occur among athletes or physically active individuals.
An LCL tear or sprain can result from any of several causes, including:
If you have experienced a torn LCL, the main symptom will likely be pain, stiffness, soreness or tenderness along the outer side of the joint (where the ligament is located.)
In addition, your knee will feel as though it is “giving way” when you are placing weight on it. You may also experienced a reduction in the knee’s range of motion.
To treat your LCL injury, your doctor will likely suggest that you reduce your activity level and spend as much time as possible sitting or lying down. This will keep your weight off the injured knee and give the injured LCL a chance to recover naturally. Using crutches to reduce the weight on your knee when you are walking is a good idea.
In cases of severe LCL injuries, knee supports (particularly hinged knee braces) can be helpful in allowing your knee ligaments. Your doctor may suggest these also.
In addition to resting your knee, your doctor may suggest that you:
If the injury does not respond to these conservative treatments, your doctor may recommend surgery to repair your damaged LCL ligament.
A physiotherapist will be able to prescribe exercises to gradually strengthen your knee ligaments and increase your knee’s range of motion. Following this exercise program will increase your chances of a full recovery.
If your injury is only a mild one (i.e. a stretched LCL) , you may need as little as 3-4 weeks to recover from the injury. However, for a grade 2 or 3 injury (tearing of the ligament) recovery time may be as long as 8-12 weeks. For a severe injury, using a hinged knee brace can help to speed recovery.
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The Bio Skin Gladiator uses a rigid hinge for knee ligament protection and is a useful brace to use after knee reconstruction. The brace has a rigid strapping system that securely anchors it to your leg and avoids the need for more costly braces. You can also adjust the range of motion using pins to limit the degree of flexion and/or extension.
The Bio Skin Gladiator – Front Closure uses a rigid hinge to effectively protect knee ligaments, including during the post reconstruction phase. The brace uses a rigid strapping system to firmly anchor itself to your leg and avoid the need for more expensive knee braces. The brace uses an easy on/off front closure design and has pins for the hinges that you can set to control the degree of flexion and/or extension.
The Bio Skin Hinged Knee Skin uses offset, bi-centric aluminium hinges to conform to the contours of differing leg shapes and provide extra knee support.
The Bio Skin Hinged Knee Skin – Front Closure uses offset, bi-centric aluminium hinges to conform to the contours of differing leg shapes and provide extra knee support. In addition, it has a hook & loop front closure design to simplify application and removal and to help it accommodate a wide variety of leg shapes.
The McDavid Knee Support With Stays & Cross Straps has reinforced spring steel stays to offer superior medial-lateral stability and confidence. It also includes elastic cross straps for enhanced compression and for collateral ligament support. The padded open buttress offers 360˚ support of the patella.
