| Disease | Injury | Nutrition | Poison |
| Special Topic | Surgery | Symptoms | Test |
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| Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention |
Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury of the knee |
| Definition: |
| MCL injury is a stretch, partial tear, or complete tear of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of the knee. (The term "medial" means the ligament is on the inside of the knee.)
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| Alternative Names: |
| Knee injury - medial collateral ligament (MCL); MCL injury |
| Considerations: |
| On physical eaxmination with a medial collateral ligament test, the tightness of the knee joint is unchanged. This test involves bending the knee to 25 degrees and putting pressure on the outside surface of the knee. Other tests may include:
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| Causes: |
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is a ligament extending from the upper-inside surface of the tibia (the shin bone) to the bottom-inside surface of the femur (the thigh bone). The ligament stabilizes the joint on the inside of the knee. The MCL is usually injured by pressure placed on the knee-joint from the outside, resulting in stress on the inside of the knee joint (valgus stress). It is often injured at the same time as an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. |
Reviewed By: Andrew L. Chen, M.D., M.S., Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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