Connective Tissue Disease: MCL by ryan berg

A torn MCL is very painful and can cause pain for the remainder of one's life.

ryantberg44 — 2014-11-20 17:32:12 UTC

The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is a wide, thick band of tissue that runs down the inner part of the knee from the thighbone to a point on the shinbone about ix inches from the knee.

This tear can inflict pain for more than a year depending on how badly it has been torn.

ryantberg44 — 2014-11-20 17:42:34 UTC

MCL cells are tightly stranded and compact. They are woven like a scarf, as you can see below:

This is an MCL tear on a larger scale

ryantberg44 — 2014-11-20 17:47:53 UTC

Sources

ryantberg44 — 2014-11-20 17:50:31 UTC

1) http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Health-Conditions/Medial-Collateral-Ligament-MCL-Tears.aspx

2) http://www.kneejointsurgery.com/images/MCL-reconstruction.jpg

3)http://www.livestrong.com/article/251347-the-prevention-of-mcl-injuries/

How it's Diagnosed

ryantberg44 — 2014-11-20 17:51:29 UTC

Symptoms consist of pain, stiffness, swelling, tenderness, and a feeling that the knee may give out at any moment.

There are 3 grades from a mild tear to completely torn, which are listed in this link;

http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Health-Conditions/Medial-Collateral-Ligament-MCL-Tears.aspx

How can it be treated?

ryantberg44 — 2014-11-24 12:57:22 UTC

On average, it takes six weeks for a MCL injury to heal. The initial treatment for most grade 1, 2 or 3 MCL tears focuses on reducing the pain and inflammation in the knee while immobilizing the knee to keep it stabilized. Three ways to treat the knee are by icing it, elevating it, and resting. With little to no strain on the knee, the knee will be healed in no time. The longer that strain is put on it, the longer the injury and pain will last.

Example of Treatment

ryantberg44 — 2014-11-24 13:05:10 UTC

How to prevent MCL Tears

ryantberg44 — 2014-11-24 13:09:32 UTC

There are many ways to prevent tearing an MCL;

1) By stretching out your muscles to reduce the strain on your MCL.

2) By allowing your body to rest. Over time your MCL stretches and it is necessary to have time to rest and regain its strength.

3) And finally by strengthening the MCL and the muscles around it. If the muscles around it are stronger, the risk for injury is

reduced significantly.

Why I chose this

ryantberg44 — 2014-11-24 13:17:48 UTC

I chose this because my uncle went through

this a few years ago. I have been wanting to

choose a school project on an MCL tear so

I could learn more about its affects.