5. Assessing MCL Injury
As previously mentioned., the extent of your injury determines the treatment and rehabilitation needed to return the ligament to health. When doctors and orthopedic surgeons assess your joint, they grade the damage based on a scale of type-1 to type-3.
The grading criteria depend on whether the damage is a sprain or a tear, and if other ligaments in the knee are also injured as well.
A grade-1 MCL injury is typically a strain resulting from a light stretching of the ligament beyond its normal range of motion. In these types of damages, the patient will require ice, elevation, and rest to heal the injury. In most cases, a grade-1 sprain lasts for around 3-days to a week before the joint recovers.
In a grade-2 injury, the patient may experience a partial tear along with bruising and inflammation of the joint. In most cases, ice and rest help the patient to recover within a few weeks of the injury.
In a grade-3 injury, the patient may experience severe tearing or total severing of the ligament. This type of injury requires surgery, and the recovery period may be as long as 3-months.