Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury is an injury to the ligament on the inner part of the knee. This ligament keeps your shin bone (tibia) in place.
It can be a stretch, partial tear, or complete tear of the ligament.
Alternative Names
Knee injury - medial collateral ligament (MCL); MCL injury
Considerations
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) goes from the inside surface of the upper shin bone to the inner surface of the bottom thigh bone.
The ligament helps keep the inside portion of the knee joint stable.
Causes
The MCL is usually injured by pressure or stress on the outside part of the knee. A block to the outside part of the knee during football is a common way for this ligament to be injured.
It is often injured at the same time as an
Images
Review Date: 06/13/2010
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of
Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of
Medicine; and C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief,
Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of
Orthopaedic Surgery. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
