The lateral collateral ligament (LCL) sits on the outer side of your knee and stops the joint from buckling outward. It is injured less often than the ACL or MCL, but when it is hurt, the knee can feel loose on uneven ground, and side to side movement becomes uncomfortable. This page covers where the LCL is, how tears happen, what recovery usually looks like, and how our team in Mississauga treats them.
Where Is the LCL and What Does It Do?
The LCL is a narrow cord shaped ligament that runs from the outside of the thigh bone (femur) down to the top of the smaller shin bone (fibula). You can often feel it as a tight band on the outer knee when you sit with your ankle crossed over the opposite knee.
Its job is to resist varus force, which is any force that pushes the knee outward. It also works with the surrounding structures to control rotation, which is why an LCL injury can make cutting, pivoting and walking on gravel or grass feel unstable.
How LCL Tears Happen
Most LCL injuries come from a force applied to the inside of the knee that pushes the joint outward. Common causes include:
- Contact in hockey, soccer, football and rugby
- A fall or slip where the lower leg gets pinned and the knee twists
- Motor vehicle collisions
- Repeated outward stress in sports with heavy cutting and pivoting
Risk goes up when the hip and quad muscles are weak, when you return to sport before strength is restored, when you have had a previous knee injury, and when you jump straight into intense play without a warm up.
LCL Tear Symptoms
- Pain and tenderness along the outer joint line of the knee
- Swelling and sometimes bruising on the outside of the knee
- A sense that the knee gives way or shifts sideways
- Trouble fully bending or straightening the knee
- Numbness or tingling into the outer lower leg or foot, which can happen if the nearby peroneal nerve is irritated
An LCL tear rarely happens on its own. When the force is large enough, the ACL, the posterolateral corner or the meniscus can be involved as well, which is why a hands on assessment matters more than a self diagnosis.
Grades of LCL Injury and Recovery Time
Ligament injuries are usually described in three grades, and the grade drives the timeline.
- Grade 1 (mild stretch, fibres intact): soreness with side pressure, no instability. Most people are back to normal activity in roughly two to four weeks.
- Grade 2 (partial tear): more swelling and some looseness on testing. Recovery commonly takes about four to eight weeks with guided rehab, sometimes with a brace early on.
- Grade 3 (complete tear): clear instability, often with other structures involved. Rehab typically runs three months or longer, and surgical repair or reconstruction is considered, especially for athletes or when the posterolateral corner is damaged.
These are general ranges, not promises. Age, the presence of other knee injuries, how quickly you start rehab and how consistent you are with loading all change the picture.
How an LCL Tear Is Diagnosed
Assessment starts with the story of the injury, then a physical exam. A varus stress test applies gentle outward pressure at different knee angles to judge how much the joint opens and whether there is a firm end point. Your therapist also checks the ACL, PCL, meniscus and rotational stability, along with hip and ankle strength. If instability is significant or a complete tear is suspected, imaging such as an MRI is requested through your physician to confirm the grade and rule out associated damage.
Treatment for LCL Tears
Non-surgical care
Most grade 1 and grade 2 tears heal well without surgery. Early care focuses on settling pain and swelling with relative rest, ice, compression and short term bracing or crutches if walking is painful. From there, treatment moves quickly into restoring motion and load.
Our physiotherapy in Mississauga programs for LCL injuries usually combine:
- Hands on therapy and joint mobilization to restore comfortable knee motion
- Quad, hamstring, glute and calf strengthening, progressed from isometrics to full range loading
- Balance and proprioception work so the knee reacts properly on uneven ground
- Gait retraining so you stop guarding the leg
- A staged return to running, cutting and sport with clear criteria for each step
Registered massage therapy can help with the muscle guarding that builds up around a sore knee, and chiropractic care can address hip and lower back stiffness that changes how you load the leg. For stubborn cases, shockwave therapy and dry needling are options we discuss based on your assessment.
Surgical care
Surgery is reserved for complete tears, knees that stay unstable after a fair trial of rehab, and injuries that involve several ligaments. The procedure either repairs the torn ligament or reconstructs it with a graft. Rehab after surgery follows a protected timeline set with your surgeon, and physiotherapy is part of it from the first weeks.
Preventing a Repeat Injury
- Build and keep quad, hamstring and glute strength through full range
- Train single leg balance and landing mechanics
- Warm up properly before contact sport and skip the cold start
- Use appropriate protective equipment for your sport
- Finish rehab instead of stopping when the pain goes away, since strength and control return later than comfort
When to Get It Checked Right Away
See a healthcare provider promptly if you had a popping sound at the time of injury, cannot put weight through the leg, have significant swelling within a few hours, feel the knee shifting or giving out, or notice numbness in the lower leg or foot. Those signs point to a higher grade injury or involvement of other structures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where exactly is the LCL?
On the outer side of the knee, running from the outside of the femur to the head of the fibula. Pain from an LCL injury is usually felt on that outer joint line rather than in the front or centre of the knee.
How long does an LCL tear take to heal?
Mild sprains often settle in two to four weeks, partial tears in about four to eight weeks, and complete tears take three months or more. A physiotherapist can give you a realistic timeline after grading the injury.
Can an LCL tear heal without surgery?
Yes. Grade 1 and grade 2 tears usually respond well to progressive rehab, and many grade 3 injuries in less demanding lifestyles are managed without surgery. Complete tears with ongoing instability or multi-ligament involvement are the cases most likely to need an operation.
Should I walk on a torn LCL?
Short, comfortable walking is usually fine for mild sprains. If walking causes sharp outer knee pain or the knee feels like it is shifting, use crutches or a brace until you have been assessed.
Is it my LCL or my meniscus?
LCL pain sits on the outer edge of the knee and is provoked by outward pressure. Meniscus pain is often deeper in the joint with catching, locking or pain on twisting. The two can happen together, so read more about meniscus tears and get a proper assessment if you are unsure.
Book an Assessment at Rehab Collective in Mississauga
If your outer knee is painful or feels unstable, an assessment will tell you what is injured and what your recovery should look like. Rehab Collective is at 2170 Dunwin Dr, Unit #7, Mississauga, and we see patients from Erin Mills, Oakville, Burlington, Milton and across the GTA.
Book online: Request an appointment
Phone: 437-880-4536
Email: info@rehabcollective.ca
