Straining, spraining, or even tearing your medial collateral ligament (MCL) can destabilize your whole knee. Fortunately, physical therapy can help an MCL injury. Many of these injuries can be treated using entirely conservative efforts. Right after the injury, you’ll need to rest your knee and avoid any activity that could strain it. Wrap the joint in a compression bandage and apply ice regularly to combat the swelling. After the first couple of days, you may be able to begin exercises.
The goal of therapy is to stabilize the knee and help the ligament as it heals. You will have a variety of exercises designed to alleviate pain, improve motion, build strength, and restore balance and stability. These can include variations on bending and flexing the joint, as well as activities to build up your quad, hamstring, and calf muscles. All of this therapy will be adjusted to fit your unique needs and goals for recovery. Let our teams at Castle Pines Physical Therapy and Cherry Creek Physical Therapy help you establish a plan for recovery. Call our Castle Pines and Denver, CO, offices at (303) 805-5156 to make an appointment, or contact us online.