What is the recovery time for MCL surgery?
After surgery, you’ll use crutches and a knee brace for about six weeks. At a post-op visit one to two weeks after surgery, your doctor will check your knee and remove the stitches. Recovery time depends on any related knee injuries but is generally between nine and 12 months.
What is MCL reconstruction?
The MCL is responsible for adding stability and holding your knee bones together. Reconstruction surgery for an MCL tear is necessary for elite athletes who have multiple knee ligament issues, when the ligament has been completely torn, or when the ligament is not functioning correctly.
Can a MCL be replaced?
The goal of MCL surgery is to stabilize the knee. There are two ways to restore stability: either with a direct repair of the torn tissue or by replacing the torn MCL with healthier donor tissue (reconstruction).
What is ACL MCL surgery?
ACL Reconstruction and MCL repair occurs after a contact or non-contact knee injury when the ACL and MCL are both fully torn, often with involvement of the medial meniscus. Surgery uses an allograft or autograft to reconstruct the torn ACL ligament arthroscopically.
Is MCL surgery painful?
Your knee will be bandaged and may have ice on it. There will likely be pain, and you can expect to be given pain medication as needed.
Which is worse ACL or MCL?
The limitations vary depending on which ligament was injured. However, while both cause a lot of discomfort, technically speaking, an ACL tear could be considered as worse, since it may require surgery to fully heal. On the other hand, a minor MCL tear can heal on its own.
Is MCL worse than ACL?
How is MCL surgery done?
During MCL surgery, the orthopaedic surgeon will make small incisions in your knee and insert an arthroscope, which is a small tube-shaped instrument. Methods for reattaching or reconstructing the torn ligament can vary.
How do they repair an MCL without surgery?
Non-surgical treatment for an MCL tear can include: Using the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) method: The RICE method involves resting your knee, icing your knee, wearing an elastic bandage around your knee (compression) and elevating your knee while you’re resting.
Can you bend your knee with a torn MCL?
Swelling can spread to other areas of the knee joint in the days following the injury. The knee may feel stiff, and a person may have difficulty straightening their leg or bending their knee. They may also find climbing the stairs or sitting in a chair challenging as this requires them to bend their knee.
How long does it take to walk after ACL and MCL surgery?
Patients walk unassisted within 2-4 weeks, but for short periods. After 10-12 weeks, expect brisk walking, light jogging, and even plyometric exercise. Full recovery on ACL reconstruction is 6-12 months, or more with physical therapy.
Can you have a PCL and MCL reconstruction together?
It is important to recognize that the 2 ligaments are co-dependent on each other, so if one just has a PCL reconstruction and the MCL is left alone, there is a much higher risk that the PCL reconstruction will fail. Therefore, a combined MCL and PCL reconstruction should be performed in these circumstances. 30.
What grade of ACL tear requires a MCL reconstruction?
Dr. LaPrade will perform a MCL reconstruction on patients who exhibit a grade III tear. In addition, it is well recognized having any “looseness” of the medial knee structures can cause an ACL graft to fail.
When is surgery indicated for an MCL tear?
Sometimes proceeding directly to surgery, with the amount of instability that a patient presents with or with a particular type of tear pattern which shows up on the MRI, may be indicated for these circumstances. Coronal MRI scan demonstrating an MCL tear off the tibia (meniscotibial based).
Can I bend my leg after a MCL tear?
MCL tears are a particular type of knee ligament injury whereby one can lose motion after an injury. Therefore, it is entirely possible that as one heals that scar tissue may form and one may either not be able to bend or straighten their leg.