An MCL tear is a common knee injury. It most often happens to people who play sports like football, basketball and skiing. MCL tears are most often treated without surgery, though there are surgery options.
An MCL tear is damage to the medial collateral ligament, which is a major ligament that’s located on the inner side of your knee. The tear can be partial (some fibers in the ligament are torn) or complete (the ligament is torn into two pieces). A ligament is a tough band of tissue that connects one bone to another bone or holds organs in place.
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Your knees are made up of bones, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is located on the inner side of your knee, and it’s eight to 10 centimeters in length. It connects your thigh bone (femur) to your shin bone (tibia). Your MCL also provides strength and stability to your knee joint. It’s one of four primary ligaments in your knee. The other three primary ligaments include:
The word “medial” means “towards the middle or center.” When referring to ligaments, “collateral” means that the ligament is on one side of a joint. The medial collateral ligament is named such because the ligament is on the inner side of your knee (closer to the “middle line” of your body), and it’s located on the side of your knee joint.
Your healthcare provider will describe your MCL tear as one of the following three grades:
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Anyone can experience an MCL tear at any age. MCL tears are a common injury for athletes, especially those who play sports like football, rugby, basketball and skiing.
MCL tears are fairly common. MCL tears are the most common knee ligament injury, and approximately 40% of all knee injuries involve the MCL.
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The symptoms of an MCL tear can vary based on how severe your tear is. If your MCL (medial collateral ligament) is torn, you may experience the following signs and symptoms:
If you have a grade 1 (minor) MCL tear, you'll likely still be able to walk at the time of the injury, though it might be painful. A grade 2 (moderate) MCL tear could make it difficult to walk at the time of the injury since your knee won’t be as stable as it normally is. If you have a grade 3 (severe) MCL tear, it’ll be difficult to walk since your knee will be unstable, and you probably won’t want to walk since it’ll be very painful. In most cases, treatment for MCL tears involves using crutches to limit the amount of weight you put on your affected knee.
If you injure your knee, it’s important to contact your healthcare provider immediately or go to the nearest hospital, even if you can still walk on it.
Sudden and forceful turning, twisting and “cutting” can cause MCL tears. A direct blow to the outer side of your knee can also cause an MCL tear. MCL tears are most common in people who play certain sports like skiing, football, basketball and volleyball.
The following situations can cause an MCL tear:
In most cases, a healthcare provider can tell if you have a torn MCL by doing a physical exam on your knee. If your provider thinks you may have an MCL tear, they'll bend your knee and apply pressure on it to see if your knee is loose. Your provider may have you undergo imaging tests to make sure you don’t have any other injuries in your knee and to see how severe your MCL tear is.
Your healthcare provider may use one or more of the following tests to diagnose an MCL tear:
Most people who have an MCL tear recover from non-surgical treatment. This is because your MCL has a good blood supply, which makes it easier for your tear to heal. Non-surgical treatment for an MCL tear can include:
While non-surgical treatment is very effective in treating MCL tears, professional athletes may want to consider undergoing surgery to fix their tear due to the amount of stress and pressure they’ll have on their knee when they return to their sport. If you have an MCL tear and other knee injuries at the same time, you’ll likely have to undergo surgery to fix your injuries.
If you need to have surgery for your MCL tear, your surgeon will either reattach the torn part of your MCL or reconstruct and/or augment your MCL using a graft. An MCL graft can be constructed with a piece of tissue from elsewhere in your body, such as your hamstring tendons, or from a donor. Your surgeon will likely use small incisions (cuts) on your inner knee to perform your MCL surgery.
Recovery time from MCL surgery depends on a few factors, including:
MCL surgery recovery often involves physical therapy to increase your strength and the range of motion in your knee.
A grade 1 MCL tear (minor tear) can usually heal on its own with rest within one to three weeks. Grade 2 and grade 3 MCL tears, which are more severe, need proper treatment in order to heal, which can include resting, wearing a knee brace and doing physical therapy. If you injure your knee, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible.
Most MCL tears heal well without surgery. However, if you have other knee injuries alongside an MCL tear, you will likely need to undergo surgery. Professional athletes may need to consider surgery to fix their MCL tear to prevent future MCL issues when they return to their sport.
If you play certain sports such as football, soccer or skiing and/or had an MCL tear before, you are more likely to experience an MCL tear.
While not all MCL tears are preventable, there are steps you can take to lower your risk of tearing your MCL. Balance, strength and power exercises that focus on your thigh and hip muscles can help lower your risk of getting an MCL tear. In football linemen, braces have been shown to prevent MCL injuries.
MCL tears usually heal well if they’re treated properly. Complications from MCL tears are rare. Most athletes who experience an MCL tear are able to return to their sport after their injury has healed.
The time it takes to fully recover from an MCL tear depends on how severe the tear is. A grade 1 (mild) MCL tear usually heals within one to three weeks. A grade 2 (moderate) MCL tear generally takes four to six weeks to heal with treatment. A grade 3 (severe) MCL tear can take six weeks or more to heal with treatment. If you undergo surgery to fix your MCL tear, it could take longer.
Be sure to follow your healthcare provider’s instructions for treatment, including those of your physical therapist. Commit to your physical therapy exercises and take your medications as prescribed by your provider. The more closely you follow your treatment plan, the sooner your MCL will heal.
If you injure your knee, see your healthcare provider as soon as possible. They’ll need to evaluate the injury to see how severe it is, reduce the swelling and determine a treatment plan.
If you have an MCL tear, it could be helpful to ask your healthcare provider the following questions:
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Although it can be upsetting to not be able to play your sport, an MCL tear will only temporarily prevent you from playing the sports and doing the activities you love. Recovering from an MCL tear depends on your willingness to follow your healthcare team’s treatment plan, which will likely include resting, using crutches and committing to physical therapy. The more you commit to your treatment plan, the better your MCL will be able to heal.
Last reviewed on 10/18/2021.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy