3. Symptoms of an MCL Injury
When you injure your MCL, you may notice a “popping” sound during the incident that causes the injury. This injury occurs as the ligament pulls away from the bone. Immediately after the injury, the patient will notice feelings of tightness, and in most cases, the onset of pain symptoms.
Pain symptoms vary depending on the extent of the injury. If the patient experiences a minor pull or pain of the ligament, they may only receive mild symptoms.
However, if the injury is severe, the patient may experience severe pain that takes two or three minutes to subside to tolerable levels.
Along with the pain symptoms, the patient will also experience significant amounts of inflammation and swelling in the joint. As the synovial fluid expands into the affected area, the patient may notice that the joint swells to twice the size of the other leg. The edema caused by the inflammation may last for as long as two to three weeks, depending on the extent of the injury.