Lateral collateral ligament
The lateral collateral ligament (LCL) is a ligament located on the knee. Its primary function is to stabilize the outside of the knee during everyday activities. There are many injuries that may happen; including stretches, partial tears, and tears. These injuries most commonly occur while playing high-contact sports. The sports in which these injuries are most common are football and rugby. Soccer, although not known to be an extremely high contact sport, also is a sport in which LCL injuries may occur.
There are many treatments for injuries to the lateral collateral ligament. Although some methods of treatment are more common than others, some are also more effective than others. For instance, some injuries may not require surgery, but if someone like a professional athlete or minor league athlete requires some sort of physical activity as a source of income than they may take the option of surgery in order to ensure a quicker recovery. Other people who may not need to get back to strenuous physical activity may simply choose to wear a brace and try their best not to put weight on it. The recovery times of these methods also varies greatly depending on the severity of the injury.
Injury
Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) injuries may occur in multiple ways. The main cause of LCL injuries is when a large amount of pressure is put on the inside of the knee. This pushes the knee outward and in turn stretches the LCL which is located on the outside of the knee. [1] LCL injuries primarily happen in high contact sports such as football or rugby games. LCL injuries are not as common as some other knee injuries though. This is due mostly to the position of the ligament on the inside of the knee. Being on the inside makes it much more difficult to take a direct blow because of the other leg. [2]
Treatments
Lateral Collateral Ligament injuries may be treated in a variety of ways. Depending on the severity of the injury, surgery may or may not be required to reattach the ligament back to the bone. For the less serious knee injuries using RICE may be all that is needed. Resting it by putting as little weight on the injured leg as possible is the first part of the acronym. Compressing the injury is also very important. Putting on and taking off a bag of ice every 15 minutes for a few hours will help with the swelling and help heal the injured area. Elevating involves keeping the knee elevated and above the heart for better blood flow. [3]
The lateral collateral ligament, like other collateral ligaments, may suffer from different grades of sprains. Grade 1 being the least injurious, while grade 3 is the worst possible sprain. Grade 1 sprains may be treated with or without surgery. The sprain may be iced and rested for 3-8 weeks, but a knee brace is required. This knee brace must immobilize the knee so that little to no movement is possible. Grade 2 sprains can actually be treated in the same way as grade 1 sprains. These both do not require surgery, but some may elect to have surgery anyway. The reason that most people with grade 1 or 2 sprains decide not to have surgery is because they find that the effects of surgery and the effects of simply icing, resting, and wearing a brace, have the same healing potential, but with surgery the recovery time will be much shorter. [4]
Structure
The Lateral Collateral Ligament is located on the outside of the knee. It attaches at the top of the fibula, which is located on the outside of the lower leg. It then runs over the outside of the knee and attaches up to the head on the right side of the femur. The primary function of the lateral collateral ligament is to stabilize the outside of the knee. [5]
Recovery
Most injuries pertaining to ligaments must be treated quickly and effectively. If not treated correctly and quickly, ligament injuries such as an injured LCL sprain, may act up in the future. There are a few different ways for a doctor to find out what is wrong with the lateral collateral ligament or other major ligaments in the knee. One way involves the doctor performing an X-ray on the knee to see what the damage is. Another way is an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). There are also other tests that may be done to examine the injury to the ligament, but these two ways are the best and most detailed. [6]
For grade one and grade two sprains, the MCL, Medial Collateral Ligament, the recovery time is shorter. The MCL only takes 3-8 weeks. The LCL on the other hand takes 2-6 weeks longer than the MCL to heal. For a grade three sprain, surgery is required if one wishes to return to their previous level of play in a certain sport. When someone is playing high-contact sports, the risk of injury goes up dramatically depending on the physicality of the sport being played. For instance, injuring your LCL while playing football is much more likely than while playing tennis. The recovery time with surgery is similar to the other ligaments of the knees, the ACL and PCL. It usually takes around three to nine months for someone to recovery from the surgical reparation of the knee ligaments. [7]
Video
A video of the reparation of an injury to the knee which includes a lateral collateral ligament tear. This video shows not only the reparation of the components of the knee but also describes the anatomical structures which were injured and are to be fixed.
References
- ↑ Gabbey, Amber. Lateral Collateral Ligament Sprain and Injury Healthline. Web. June 29, 2012. (Date of Publication).
- ↑ Imm, Nick. Knee Ligament Injuries Patient. Web. February 18, 2014. (Date Last Updated)
- ↑ Beitler, Jeffrey. Knee Ligament Injuries: PCL, LCL, MCL, and ACL Injury WebMD. Web. February 25, 2012. (Date Last Reviewed)
- ↑ Author Unknown. Major Types of Injuries in Competitive Athletes Brown. Web. January 12, 2015. (Date-Accessed)
- ↑ Author, Unknown. Lateral Collateral Ligament Injury theknee.com. January 28,2015. (Date-Accessed)
- ↑ Author Unknown. Knee Ligament Injuries: PCL, LCL, MCL, and ACL Injury WebMD. Web. January 28,2015. (Date-Accessed)
- ↑ Author Unknown. Medial and Lateral Collateral Ligaments Brown. Web. January 28, 2015. (Date-Accessed)
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