First degree medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury

Alternative names:

injury - knee - first degree mcl; injury - MCL - first degree; injury - medial collateral ligament - first degree; knee injury - medial collateral ligament - first degree; medial collateral ligament injury - first degree

Definition:

An injury to the knee described as a stretch of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) somewhere along the length of the ligament, resulting in unchanged knee joint tightness. See also second or third degree medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is a ligament extending from the upper-inside surface of the tibia to the bottom-inside surface of the femur. The ligament prevents the knee joint from medial instability, that is, instability in the inside of the joint.

The MCL is usually injured by pressure placed on the knee-joint from the outside or lateral pressure, resulting in stress on the inside of the knee joint (valgus stress).