MCL & LCL Injuries

The medial collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) sit on the inside and outside of the knee respectively.

Their role is to prevent abnormal bending motions and control twisting movements. These ligaments are typically injured from a direct force to the inside or outside of the knee.

Most of the time, a good physiotherapy programme is all you need to get you back performing at your best. We will work with you to develop a progressive mobility, strength and balance programme to get you achieving your goals.

Common symptoms

  • Pain on the inside (MCL) or outside (LCL) of the knee
  • Swelling around the joint
  • A feeling of the knee “opening up” or being unstable when weight-bearing
  • Tenderness directly over the ligament
  • Difficulty fully bending or straightening the knee

How we assess an MCL or LCL injury

Your physiotherapist will take a detailed history of how the injury occurred and perform specific hands-on stability tests to assess the ligament and grade the severity of the injury (mild sprain through to complete tear). Where needed, we’ll guide you towards imaging or a specialist referral, though most MCL and LCL injuries are managed very successfully without surgery.

This makes an accurate initial assessment particularly important, your physiotherapist will help determine the grade of your injury and the most appropriate treatment pathway for you.

Our approach to treatment

  1. Early recovery: protect the ligament, settle pain and swelling, and restore normal walking. If pain or swelling makes it hard to activate your muscles properly, we may use neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES, e.g. Compex) to help restore quadriceps activation, or blood flow restriction (BFR) training to build strength safely using lighter loads.
  2. Strength and control: rebuild strength through the knee, hip and lower limb, along with balance and stability work
  3. Return to higher loads: progressive strengthening, agility and sport-specific training
  4. Return to sport or activity: confirming your knee is strong and stable enough to return to full training and competitioner than ACL rehabilitation: many people managed conservatively return to sport-specific activity within 2–3 months, while those requiring surgical reconstruction typically take longer, often 6–7 months before returning to full sport.
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Frequently asked questions

Rarely. The great majority of MCL and LCL injuries heal well with a structured physiotherapy programme alone. Surgery is generally only considered for complete tears combined with other significant knee injuries.

This depends on the grade of the sprain, mild sprains often settle within a few weeks, while more significant tears can take several months of rehabilitation to fully resolve.

This depends on the severity of the injury and how your knee responds to load. Your physiotherapist will guide you on when it’s safe to return to training and competition.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES, sometimes known by the brand name Compex) uses electrical currents to trigger a muscle contraction, which can help restore quadriceps activity if pain and swelling are limiting how well your muscles are firing. Blood flow restriction (BFR) training uses a cuff to partially restrict blood flow during light exercise, allowing meaningful strength gains using much lighter loads, useful in the early stages of recovery. Both are backed by research as effective additions to standard rehab exercise.

Contact New Lynn Physio to book your rehab assessment and take the next step,
reclaiming your knee and rebuilding your confidence!

Book a Knee Assessment