Knee

Difference Between ACL and MCL

Difference Between ACL and MCL

ACL is the anterior cruciate ligament that keeps your shinbone from sliding forward. MCL is the medial collateral ligament that prevents your femur from sliding from side to side. A knee injury can damage either of these ligaments.

  1. How can you tell if you tore your ACL or MCL?
  2. Which is worse ACL or MCL tear?
  3. Can you walk with a torn ACL or MCL?
  4. Can an MCL heal on its own?
  5. What does a torn MCL feel like?
  6. Can you bend your knee with a torn ACL?
  7. What's the worst ligament to tear in your knee?
  8. Can you walk with MCL injury?
  9. Does MCL tear require surgery?
  10. Will my MCL ever heal?
  11. Where is ACL pain felt?
  12. Can ACL heal without surgery?

How can you tell if you tore your ACL or MCL?

  1. If you feel a sudden pain under your knee cap or hear a loud popping sound, you most likely have torn your ACL. ...
  2. A blow to the outside of the knee can cause the ligament on the inside of the knee (the MCL) to stretch and possibly tear. ...
  3. You tend to feel pain on the inside of the knee when an MCL injury occurs.

Which is worse ACL or MCL tear?

With an MCL tear, the recovery process may take up to eight weeks or more with rehabilitation. On the other hand, an ACL tear will most likely require surgery and at least six months or more of rehabilitation. A torn ACL or MCL is a serious injury that should be assessed and treated by an orthopedic surgeon.

Can you walk with a torn ACL or MCL?

Can you walk with a torn ACL? The short answer is yes. After the pain and swelling subsides and if there is no other injury to your knee, you may be able to walk in straight lines, go up and down stairs and even potentially jog in a straight line.

Can an MCL heal on its own?

If you have a mild MCL strain, it can heal on its own with rest, ice, and other self-care. You'll need to raise your sore knee when you put ice on it, keep weight off the joint, and protect and compress the injury with a knee brace or elastic bandage.

What does a torn MCL feel like?

An injury to the MCL leads to swelling and pain in the medial, or inner, aspect of the knee. Patients will often feel pain with knee bending or twisting maneuvers. When an MCL tear is severe, the athlete can feel a sense of instability or opening on the inside of the knee.

Can you bend your knee with a torn ACL?

Some people find that the knee joint feels looser than it should. Less range of motion. After you damage your ACL, it's very likely that you won't be able to bend and flex your knee like you normally would.

What's the worst ligament to tear in your knee?

Tearing of the ACL is the most significant injury because it leaves the knee unstable, which also causes the knee to lose its normal function. It is estimated that 100,000 new anterior cruciate ligament injuries occur in the U.S. each year.

Can you walk with MCL injury?

If there is no pain and the knee does not "give way," they can usually walk, stretch, and do low-impact activities such as swimming. Teens with a torn MCL should follow their health care provider's instruction on which activities they can do and which they should skip.

Does MCL tear require surgery?

Rarely, an injury to the MCL will require surgery. Surgery is necessary when the ligament is torn in such a way that it can't repair itself. It's also done when the MCL injury occurs with other ligament injuries.

Will my MCL ever heal?

While an MCL tear can be extremely painful, the good news is that the tear usually heals on its own after a few weeks of rest.

Where is ACL pain felt?

You will likely feel pain in the center of your knee during an ACL tear. Because the MCL is located on the side of your knee, the pain and swelling will be located on the inside of the knee structure rather than the middle.

Can ACL heal without surgery?

Very minor tears (sprains) may heal with non-surgical treatments and regenerative medicine therapy. But full ACL tears cannot be healed without surgery. If your activities do not involve making pivoting movements on the knee, physical therapy rehabilitation may be all you need.

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