Knee injuries are one of the most common injuries to occur – especially in athletes or those who play sports. The most common knee injuries are ACL and MCL tears – but what’s the difference and how can we prevent them?
The Knee is the body’s largest and most complex joint. It is relatively weak mechanically because of the configurations of the joints and its strength depends on the ligaments, tendons and muscles surrounding it.
What are the ACL and MCL?
The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) is an intra-articular ligament located within the knee joint capsule and connects the femur to the tibia (thigh to the shin). This ligament helps stabilize the knee joint by limiting function, preventing your femur in the thigh sliding backwards and your tibia in the shin sliding forwards and limiting rotation of the knee joint (1).
The MCL (medial collateral ligament) is a strong flat band which lies on the inside of your knee, extending from the inside of your thigh to the inside of the tibia in the shin. Alike the ACL it contributes to the stabilisation of the knee joint and limits inwards movement.
How do we injure our ACL and MCL?
An ACL injury is most often attributed to a sudden stop or directional change, which make it a common injury in sports such as football and tennis.
Symptoms include:
- A popping sensation and/or sound at the time of injury
- Immediate pain and swelling
- Painful and restricted movement
- Instability when weight bearing
An MCL injury is associated with force to the outer thigh causing valgus stress (pushing the knee towards the center of the body) or through sports such as skiing (2).
Symptoms include:
- Immediate pain and swelling
- Stiffness of the knee joint
- Tenderness to the inner knee
- Instability when weight bearing
As the symptoms of ACL and MCL injuries are similar it can be hard to differentiate between the two and in some cases an injury to one ligament can also cause an injury to the other due to increased weight bearing.
Both of these injuries will be assessed and given a grade between 1-3. Grade 1 is usually a sprain, grade 2 will have slight tearing and grade 3 is a complete tear with a potential need for surgery. Treatment for an ACL and MCL tear will be based upon its severity and whether any other ligaments sustained damage.
How can a Spine help with ACL and MCL tears?
Occurrence of ACL and MCL tears will be dependent upon your body’s stability, if your body is unstable the joints will be weaker and more susceptible to injury when subjected to impact/force. Here at Spine we take a holistic view of your body making sure your whole body structure is stable and functioning as it should, therefore aiding the strength of the knee joint allowing it to sustain more impact before affecting the ligaments.
If you have a suspected ACL and MCL tear after the initial inflammation has reduced, manual therapy may be helpful in realigning the knee, making sure that the joint is functioning properly with equal load bearing and reducing uneven stress on tendons, ligaments and muscles.
Speak to one of our practitioners today if you are experiencing any knee pain.
References
- Yoo H, Marappa-Ganeshan R. Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Knee Anterior Cruciate Ligament. [Updated 2023 Jul 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559233/#
- Juneja P, Hubbard JB. Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Knee Medial Collateral Ligament. [Updated 2023 Aug 14]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507780/
- Solecki TJ, Herbst EM. Chiropractic management of a postoperative complete anterior cruciate ligament rupture using a multimodal approach: a case report. J Chiropr Med. 2011 Mar;10(1):47-53. doi: 10.1016/j.jcm.2010.07.005. Epub 2010 Oct 14. PMID: 22027208; PMCID: PMC3110400.
