MCL

This ligament on the medial aspect of the knee, the medial collateral ligament (MCL), is a commonly injured ligament. It is a broad thick band about four to six inches long. It has deep and superficial layers. This ligament is vulnerable to blows to the knee from the outside, which often occur in contact sports. The exciting thing is that these ligaments can heal well if the person treats them correctly after the injury. What the athlete should not do is use the RICE treatments and anti-inflammatory medications, as these stop the healing process. A better approach is the MEAT program, which involves movement, exercise, natural analgesics, and specific treatments such as physiotherapy or Prolotherapy. When they do not heal on their own, Prolotherapy is used to strengthen them, thus relieving the pain. The MCL rarely needs surgical repair, but often requires stimulation repair with Prolotherapy.

Injury to the MCL also occurs when an athlete falls awkwardly while playing a contact sport or skiing. They feel a tearing pain on the inner side of the knee. Usually the athlete can still walk but the pain increases with passage of time. Often there is a swelling of the knee due to the trauma. These symptoms gradually improve over several weeks, and in many cases heal completely. In complete tears (grade III) a brace if often prescribed with gradually-increasing degrees of motion of the knee. This type of bracing is called functional bracing. It is used for a very short time.

MRI scans are quite inaccurate at diagnosing cruciate ligament injury. They are not as accurate as one would think in differentiating between a complete tear and a partial tear. (Scott, W. Dr. Scott's Knee Book. New York, NY: Fireside, 1996, p. 74.)

We have had plenty of occasions where the MRI’s showed extensive knee damage and Prolotherapy completely relieved the pain. Obviously, the more extensive injuries in and around the knee require more Prolotherapy injections per visit, and often an increased number of visits.

Of course, surgery is repeatedly recommended for torn cruciate ligaments. For anything except complete rupture (grade 3 injury) of the anterior cruciate ligament, avoid surgery if possible. The fact that there are so many ways to perform the surgery is an indication that there is no one excellent method.

For the athlete who wants to speed the healing process, even for a complete tear, Prolotherapy can be done on both ends of the MCL to stimulate the body to repair the area.