Depending on the grade of the knee ligament injury, the lowest grade (grade 1) can take between 2 and 10 weeks for the injury to fully heal. Recovery times for grades 2 and 3 can take several weeks to several months.
Treatment of a partial tear or stretch injury is usually conservative. Sports medicine therapists should be a first choice option for diagnosis and treatment of injuries to this structure. This includes measures to control inflammation as well as bracing.
Good clinical results can be achieved with conservative care of grade II sprains, but poor results in grade III sprains. As a result, more severe grade III and IV injuries to the MCL that lead to ongoing instability may require arthroscopic surgery. However, the medical literature considers surgery for most MCL injuries to be controversial. Isolated MCL sprains are common. For higher grade tears of the MCL with ongoing instability, the MCL can be sutured or replaced.
