Rehab for sprained ligament

[Mark Le Comte]

Hi, I understand the Starr rehab method is for muscle belly tears, not for ligament damage. I have sprained my left knee, not so bad that I cant walk but badly enough that the tightness/soreness is throwing off my squat technique I don't feel safe squatting more 220 (last working set pre-injury was 365x5x3). There was some spasming in the VMO for a couple of days but that has stopped. I'm using voltaren and/or ice to manage joint stiffness/discomfort, which I need to do if I standing for more than 30 min.

Any advice on rehab or is it more a waiting game until I can squat with good technique then progressively increase the weight again?

44 year old male in a sedentary job.

[Will Morris]

Hi, I understand the Starr rehab method is for muscle belly tears, not for ligament damage. I have sprained my left knee, not so bad that I cant walk but badly enough that the tightness/soreness is throwing off my squat technique I don't feel safe squatting more 220 (last working set pre-injury was 365x5x3). There was some spasming in the VMO for a couple of days but that has stopped. I'm using voltaren and/or ice to manage joint stiffness/discomfort, which I need to do if I standing for more than 30 min.

Any advice on rehab or is it more a waiting game until I can squat with good technique then progressively increase the weight again?

44 year old male in a sedentary job.

A more precise identification of which ligament was sprained would be helpful. There are various ligaments in and around the knee, and each of them would have their own precautions for returning to training depending on the severity of the sprain, structural instability, etc.

[Mark Le Comte]

Thanks for prompt reply. It is the lateral ligament.

[Will Morris]

How was this diagnosed?

[Mark Le Comte]

Physical manipulation of knee joint by Dr with questioning of which movements/positions hurt and discussion of incident leading to injury (golf swing on downhill lie then getting worse through rest of round - lateral motion and twisting)

[Will Morris]

Was this a Primary Care type Doctor, or was it an orthopaedic surgeon?

[Mark Le Comte]

Primary care

[Mark Le Comte]

Any comments on generic process for sprain/ligament rehab, even if suspicious of this diagnosis? Im just not sure how agressive to be in rehab, as I understand that discomfort is not a good indicator.

Cheers

[Will Morris]

Any comments on generic process for sprain/ligament rehab, even if suspicious of this diagnosis? Im just not sure how agressive to be in rehab, as I understand that discomfort is not a good indicator.

Cheers

We rehabilitate ligamentous injuries with early loading of the tissue. A linear progression of the lifts that directly utilize that joint are preferred. If there is no structural instability, I'd squat and deadlift you and things will be just fine.

In this case, I'd be shocked if this isn't a meniscal tear that was mistakenly diagnosed as an LCL sprain. If it were simply an LCL sprain, it should be fine by now.

I'd like a better explanation of why discomfort is not a good indicator. Is not a good indicator of what, precisely? This is an interesting statement.

[Mark Le Comte]

Thanks for the advice, will get 2nd opinion on possible meniscal tear.

What I was meaning that discomfort is not a good indicator is that I expect the joint to hurt for a while regardless of what I do. That it hurts a bit is not a reason to avoid working the full ROM.