Baffling 8 month Grade 2 MCL sprain

[sammo440]

Thanks for that one mate. I've now been back in England for 2 and a half months now so have been seeing physios and have had another MRI which just showed there to be thickening of the ligament consistent with a chronic MCL sprain.

There has definitely been some improvement, and I'm doing strengthening exercises for the quads twice a day, cycling 8 miles a day and stretching hamstrings, calfves and quads daily too so I'm hopeful, but progress is still ridiculously slow.

I was recommended to start doing some running and other things to help get me back playing some sport, but when I attended an hour's returning to sport physio session I was set back a full week and a half, even though I didn't really feel any pain at the time. I even tried taking it even slower, starting off with 3 minutes of running/changing direction a lot which was fine, then upped it to 5 minutes the day before yesterday and yet that time it made it sore again (not as bad as after the hour session) and I'm still having more aching today than I did before the running.

The knee doesn't feel weak at all, and I'm told there's not a lot of laxity or whatever, but I can't understand why it still aches after sitting down for medium-long periods. I've found that when I do the 'wall sit' exercise it stops the pain for a bit, but the aching gets more annoying as the day goes on whatever I'm doing.

It's not really painful, but I'm just so desperate to get back to playing football it's killing me. The physio said it shouldn't be too much longer but I'm worried that the MRI missed something as sometimes when I do the wall sit exercise my knee cap hurts and today I've had some pain under the knee cap on the same side as the MCL, potentially in the miniscus area, when I walk which I can agitate a bit further by pushing/rubbing it hard. (Incidentally, to complete the picture, the aching I get when I sit down is just a general aching across the whole knee whereas when I get the odd twinge from stretching slightly awkwardly or when I tried a standing stretch for my hip flexors it's in the region of the MCL)

What's going on?!?!?!??!?! Should I avoid doing any running etc or is my physio right that this aching for days afterwards is helping it get stronger afterwards? Is it likely other things could be going on with my knee aside from the MCL and if so how can i get someone to believe me when it wasn't picked up on the MRI?

Any advice is greatly received, and yet again thank you for everyone who's taken the time to give me their advice so far.

Sam

[heyheyhey]

Hey i put up thread yeasterday looking for info very similar to your complaint except mine is my ACl.
i have problems standing- which would make sense as its the opposite ligament to your injury.
I've got an MRI and the reckon its a grade 1 acl tear with a slight thickening.
I really feel i need an Arthroscopy as the pain i get is like someone throwing a doorstop into it.
We have a similar health system to Britain here in ireland- its called the HSE but its not as good as the NHS.
I've a consulatiion next month and i'm going to beg for a scope as that should find what the proplem is. Apparantly if its only a Partial Tear of a ligament it should only be tender for 5-6 months at then depending on the thickness left your knee shoudl be pretty good. Mine still aches & months later. I feel your pain though- it would drive you crazy!!!!!!!

[pcsparky]

If your MCL merely aches in the same way that your muscles would after hard exercise then they're probably right. If it hurts though it's probably the body's way of telling you to stop doing what's causing it.

I'm now seeing a sports therapist that has worked with Sheff Utd football club & Sheff Eagles rugby club so she's seen this type of injury plenty of times.

My own MCL gets set back when I do any running, either treadmill or road. She's has told me not to do any running at all until it's 100% better. I am doing all of the things that you are doing and I do feel that I'm progressing but you're right it is slow and with patience it will get better so long as you don't aggravate it. That has been my problem, lack of patience and trying to get back to normal activities too quickly.

Good luck, Mark