MCL Injury

[gumper27]

I am a goalie and was getting up from on my knees on the ice and felt a tear to the lower left of my right knee cap.  From what I've been reading it seems like the MCL.  I couldn't put any weight on it at all for about two weeks.  Every thing has been pretty slow.  I have a bad limp right now and I injured it just about three months ago.  Now it seems to always want to crack in the spot where it was injured.  After it cracks it usually feels a little better for a little while.  I cannot straighten it at all either.  
I have not been doing any physio at all.  I have had an MRI but it is taking forever to see my doc. about the results.  
Since I can't staighten it am I going to need a surgery?  Should the recovery be taking this long?  What should I do?

[JainMD]

Hi,
How old are you?
Knee pain has many causes, including pathologic processes in the knee and disorders in distant locations with referral to the knee area.
Can you tell me when this pain is more? Do you experience any grinding, locking, catching, or giving way of the knee?
As you mentioned that while getting up you felt a tear to the lower left of right knee cap with swelling. It also makes some noise and always wants to crack.
These symptoms are indeed classic symptoms of ligament injury.
Grinding is characteristic of osteoarthritis; locking and catching are characteristic of meniscus injuries and osteochondritis dissecans (meniscus injuries are much more common than osteochondritis dissecans); and giving way is more characteristic of ligamentous injuries.
Are there any positions that make your knee more or less comfortable?
Have you tried anything to help the pain and, if yes, has that been successful? Have you ever had surgery on your knee?
The answer to your question lies in doing an imaging study of knee to find out the exact pathology.
The 1st step is plain radiographs (including weight-bearing posterior-anterior, lateral, and tangential [Merchant] views) of the patella.
I think you should be visiting an orthopaedician at earliest.
We can decide about further intervention once we know the pathology.
Recovery can take up to 4-8 weeks.
Hope this helps you.
Bye.

[Lew34]

I twisted my knee quite badly when a wooden step broke in our barn about 6 weeks ago. It only seemed to hurt badly for 5 minutes afterward and I was able to walk without any limp or pain for 6-8 hours after it happened, but by night time, the swelling set in and I had trouble bending it and was unable to walk far without holding onto things for balance.The soreness was on the inside of my knee. Is it  normal to be able to walk ok right after for MCL injuries? After a couple days I was able to walk better but the stiffness/swelling stayed for 2-3 weeks. Now at 6 weeks the swelling is gone and I am able to bend it and move my leg without any pain, but the weakness is worrying me. It still feels unstable like it may bend inwards or I may fall if I try and walk normally at a quick pace. I have been wearing just an elastic type support sleeve ever since the injury for outside activities ( nothing inside the house). Would a proper ACL/MCL support brace benefit me or will it strengthen faster if I wear nothing and keep doing the strengthening exercises and riding my exercise bike?