Knee ligament injuries account for a large proportion of traumatic (injury) related knee pain.

Have you got it?

Ligament injuries are normally related to trauma. This means a direct injury or incident.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and Medial Collateral ligament (MCL) are typically injured with a bend and twisting injury.

The posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) is less commonly injured but usually comes from a direct blow to the top of your shin when your knee is flexed.

The Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) usually occur from a blow to the inside of the knee which then causes the knee to 'bow' sideways.

Why have you got it?

There are usually a number of factors including weak muscles not protecting your knee, fatigue/tiredness in your muscles, the ground you are on (even/uneven), footwear.... the list goes on. Ultimately if the force is big enough you can injure and strain or tear some or all of the ligament.

What are the ligaments?

Ligaments are soft tissues which attach bones to bones. They are VERY tough and it usually takes a LARGE force to injure them.  They don't really stretch and are designed to limit movement at the joint.  They are called 'passive' structures which means you can't tense or control them (like muscles).

What if I have a tear? Do I need a scan?

There are 3 grades of injury/tear.

Grade 1 - Mild ligament tear/mild sprain

Grade 2 - Moderate ligament tear/sever sprain/partial tear

Grade 3 - Complete tear of the ligament. i.e. completely torn!

We'll be able to advise you on what tear you likely have and whether you need an MRI scan. Only Grade 2 & 3 tears generally need an MRI scan.

Do I need surgery?

Grade 1 injuries NEVER need surgery. They need a bit of time and some rehab and your body's natural healing process will do the rest.

Grade 2 injuries vary.  A low grade 2 injury will not need surgery however a high grade 2 injury might.  It all depends! We'll be able to advise you more once we have tested your knee.

Grade 3 - The answer for the MCL and LCL is probably yes you do need surgery.  PCL grade 3 injuries can, as long as you can fully bend and straighten your knee normally DO NOT require surgery, just great rehab.

For ACL injuries it all depends! If you can fully bend and straighten your knee and you DO NOT intend to return to contact or fast paced sports where you change direction lots then you probably DO NOT need surgery.

However if your knee is limited in it's movement and you wish to continue to participate in fast moving, changing direction sport, you will benefit from an ACL reconstruction. This will take approximately 9 moths to recover from though.

How do I know what ligament I have injured?

It is VERY important to get an accurate diagnosis by taking your history and completing some physical examination tests.  You usually do not require an ultrasound or MRI scan unless it appears that you have a more severe ligament injury.

We will emphasize this point….GREAT rehab will resolve all Grade 1 and most low Grade 2 injuries. Even if you have a Grade 3 injury and will need surgery you WILL benefit from rehab BEFORE surgery.

So get booked in, get diagnosed and begin your GREAT rehab!

People in pain often leave it a long time before asking for help,

they don't know what is wrong, and worry about the future.

We specialise in modern physio to help people

live the life they want and keep doing the things they love.