Knee Assesment

[blitzkrieg]

I played football 6 weeks ago and had a knock on the inner-side of my knee from behind . My knee twisted awkwardly .I felt immediate pain but i was still able to play for other 20 mins till full time.

After that i have no pain whatsoever when i run or even when i touch the inner side of my knee . There is no swelling or no sign of any bruise.I can stretch my knee completely without any pain .
The only problem is when i play football again and give a jerk to the inner side of the knee (eg. while chipping etc.) , i feel pain on the inner part of my knee .It also feels unstable at that time .

After my first injury , i played 4 times , sometimes wearing a knee cap , and had to pull out of the match everytime i had severe pain .

Please help !

[Heidi]

An MCL injury is the most possible.
A small tear in the MCL would be fine with daily movements and straight running but be more problematic with things like kickking and twisting.
Treatment such as friction massage and ultrasound may help, as well as a strengthening programme.

[blitzkrieg]

Thank You for you reply .

Can u please tell me,how many days should i take rest ?
Because i don't understand whether i am fit or not , unless and until i play .

Also can u please guide on the strengthening program and friction massage ?

[Heidi]

It's difficult to give you a guide on resting. But generally a grade 1 injury would heal within 2 weeks and grade 2- would be about 3-4 weeks.
Strengthening exercises for MCL injuries can be found on the website. Friction massage needs to be done by a professional.

[blitzkrieg]

Now , its been two months I haven't played .As said earlier i feel no pain while doing my daily activities , though i have come to know the exact scenario when my knee hurts .

Its when i keep my thigh loose and then jerk my <b>heel (back part of the foot) laterally</b> , i experience pain in my inner knee .

Can you tell me if these symptoms are of MCL or what else ?

[footy mad]

it sounds like a ligament strain try using the rice treatment for a few days and rest from sport for 2 weeks then return wearing a light knee support i have had these in the past when i played football