Sports and the MCL Tear: What You Need to Know

MCL Tear

An MCL tear is a common knee injury. It most often happens to people who play sports like football, basketball and skiing. MCL tears are most often treated without surgery, though there are surgery options. MCL tears are most common in people who play certain sports like skiing, football, basketball and volleyball.

Causes of MCL tear

– You are at a higher risk of a torn MCL if you play high-impact sports such as football or martial arts. Sports that involve lots of jumping, sprinting, and quickly changing directions are also high-risk.

– MCL injuries are usually caused by getting struck in your knee or by bending or twisting the joint too forcefully, causing the ligament to stretch and tear. Wear and tear of the ligament over time through repeated stress and pressure, such as lifting heavy objects, can also cause injury to the MCL.

– Planting one foot into the ground and forcefully shifting direction (this is known as “cutting” in sports).

– Repeated pressure and stress to your knee, which causes your MCL to lose its elasticity (like a worn-out rubber band).

In conclusion, most MCL tears heal well without surgery. However, if you have other knee injuries alongside an MCL tear, you will likely need to undergo surgery. Professional athletes may need to consider surgery to fix their MCL tear to prevent future MCL issues when they return to their sport. These informations are gotten from cleave land clinics and Mass General Brigham.