# MCL Tear



## mstrkrft69 (Jan 6, 2018)

Anyone done this? I had a freak fall two weeks ago, low speed, fell over, rolled down a hill. On the way over the outside of my right knee hit a tree, my knee bent sideways and poof, no more MCL.

Then I had to ride out of the bottom of a ravine 7 miles. Which actually worked. Good to know straight linear movement without an MCL is do-able.

Got an MRI and doc says it's non-surgical, it will fuse back on its own. Now I'm in a prescription hinged splint for 6 weeks and my wife thinks I'm an even bigger idiot than before. 

Anyone who's had one before, how did you heal up? Any tips? I don't feel any pain and I'm working on range of motion exercises, otherwise I'm just going to wait it out before I can get back on the bike. 

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk


----------



## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

Yup, did mine snowboarding, hurt like hell, couldn't sweep my leg to the inside for months, felt okay to ride but hiking was painful for a good year. It was totally fine after a couple years, but I gave up snow sports and I don't ride clipless pedals.

I kept riding, just kept it tame for a while.

Curious, were you still clipped in when you hit the tree?



mstrkrft69 said:


> Anyone done this? I had a freak fall two weeks ago, low speed, fell over, rolled down a hill. On the way over the outside of my right knee hit a tree, my knee bent sideways and poof, no more MCL.
> 
> Then I had to ride out of the bottom of a ravine 7 miles. Which actually worked. Good to know straight linear movement without an MCL is do-able.
> 
> ...


----------



## mstrkrft69 (Jan 6, 2018)

Nurse Ben said:


> Yup, did mine snowboarding, hurt like hell, couldn't sweep my leg to the inside for months, felt okay to ride but hiking was painful for a good year. It was totally fine after a couple years, but I gave up snow sports and I don't ride clipless pedals.
> 
> I kept riding, just kept it tame for a while.
> 
> Curious, were you still clipped in when you hit the tree?


I ride flats so no. I was rolling over sideways and my leg was loose and unweighted. I've always had loose janky knees so that probly didn't help. If I was 1 foot in either direction I wouldn't have clipped the tree.

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk


----------



## MTB_Underdog (Jul 8, 2020)

Did mine 25 years ago playing soccer, never had any big issues after it healed. Can still play soccer and ride with no problem. Only nagging reminder is it will get stiff/ache if I sit too long and can't straighten it out. I'm 6'2, so riding more than an hour or two in the back seat of a car gets uncomfortable, but that isn't something that comes up too often. If I flew a lot I'd be sure to get an aisle seat so I could straighten it out every once in a while.


----------



## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

Severed an ACL but in a totally different way than how you asked.


----------



## Sickmak90 (May 27, 2012)

I have a badly torn MCL in my left knee. It’s been that way for years so I just ignore it the best I can. After 12+ mile rides it’ll swell and just feel loose and shitty. 

Part of the reason I went to flats was to help with the pain of twisting to get out of pedals. 

After really tough rides I’ll have trouble walking the next day. That being said all the riding I’ve been doing over the past two seasons has helped tremendously with pain and stability. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mstrkrft69 (Jan 6, 2018)

Sickmak90 said:


> I have a badly torn MCL in my left knee. It's been that way for years so I just ignore it the best I can. After 12+ mile rides it'll swell and just feel loose and shitty.
> 
> Part of the reason I went to flats was to help with the pain of twisting to get out of pedals.
> 
> ...


It didn't heal all the way? My knee doc said I should heal completely, buy maybe my tear was such that it set up to heal well.

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk


----------



## J-Bone (Aug 26, 2008)

sorry about the injury pain sucks and off time sucks more. 

I work in sports medicine resume experience yakity yakity ok

So, yes. Your dr is sort of correct. It'll heal-prob completely but it needs help. Best way?? Script for PT go for 6-8 weeks and you'll be MUCH better off. 

Hinged brace will help too. Ice is your best friend even if it doesn't not hurt but feels stiff-cold packs--- I would have put you in a straight knee immobilizer and crutches for a week or 2 (I repeat this statement a little ways down there)

The bad. The MCL is connected to your medial meniscus and a complete MCL tear usually results in a meniscus tear or cartilage derangement. If you get to that 6-8 week period and you still have issues or little to no improvement then get an mri to rule out meniscus tear-it usually won't show up until later in healing process. The people above that mentioned still having issues probably have some meniscus involvement. 

Gently pain free range of motion exercises are great cold pack before and after. Try to make a schedule and be consistent with what you do and when. Think of it as breakfast lunch and dinner. 

Walking. MCL is tight with a straight leg and lax with bent knee. As you walk and make heel contact you may not feel great-thats ok. take it slow and avoid toe touch weight bearing. Also try to make sure you walk in straight lines-any rotation or vagus stress will tear healing fibers (valgus just means medial stress. So anything that opens the joint on the inside of the knee stretching the mcl)

DO NOT PUT PILLOWS UNDER THE KNEE FOR COMFORT (sometimes you have to but keep it minimal). Especially while sleeping. Keep it as straight as possible. I would have put you in a straight knee imobilizer and crutches for a week or 2 to keep your leg at 0 degrees to promote healing but I am not your dr.(not a doctor but google ATC)

Keep your VMO active-the big tear drop muscle of the quad. Straight leg raises with a system of Activate muscle lift leg-lower leg and relax entire leg. FIRE THAT QUAD. If its not too bad you can try mini squats (and I mean mini like 25% range), balance exercises like standing in a doorway on a single leg for help-for 15-30 seconds. Don't over do it just a few to keep quad going. 

Get your gluts woking. side lying clams with strict control and glut activation, Bridges are great-make sure you fire the glut before bridging. etc.

Gentle massage over the area will help facilitate scar tissue assemble/maturation and increase scar strength over time (google cross friction massage-should be pretty painless to do maybe a little uncomfortable but not HURT)

Keep your ex's single plane-straight direction with no rotation if you can-just lowers risk of re-injury and delaying healing. 

Alcohol and smoking delays healing so keep it to a minimum. 

Good luck.


----------



## Xylx (Mar 18, 2005)

Tore my MCL on a stupid recumbent back in the mid-90s. Had surgery in Vail, CO (Kobe's Doc). They just needed to clean out the mess. Been fine ever since. Stopped riding clip-ins though. Gave up road biking fifteen or so years ago.


----------



## Ptor (Jan 29, 2004)

J-Bone said:


> sorry about the injury pain sucks and off time sucks more.
> 
> I work in sports medicine resume experience yakity yakity ok
> 
> So, yes. Your dr is sort of correct. It'll heal-prob completely but it needs help. Best way?? Script for PT go for 6-8 weeks and you'll be MUCH better off.


This sounds like awesome advice! Nice to have competent folks commenting -- doesn't happen enough!

I tore my MCL during a yard sale on a mogul run at Steamboat about 8 years ago. The orthopod said about a 90% tear and it would heal well, doing largely what was described by J-Bone -- he was right. He's a consulting orthopod for a Division 1 football and basketball teams and said he saw "many a year" and they have all healed well, very seldom having to operate. Definitely the MCL is the "_CL" to tear if you have too (so it would seem), as both the ACL and PCL tears various friends have experienced were much more problematic than my MCL.


----------



## DianaO (Mar 12, 2021)

J-Bone said:


> sorry about the injury pain sucks and off time sucks more.
> 
> I work in sports medicine resume experience yakity yakity ok
> 
> ...


Does it have to hurt like when it got tore when you bike for the first time after 3 weeks?

My PT wants me to bike (static) but I am very afraid of the pain.


----------

