Background
Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries of the knee are very common sports-related injuries. The MCL is the most commonly injured knee ligament. Injuries to the MCL occur in almost all sports and in all age groups.
Contact sports such as hockey, wrestling, rugby, football, and judo are responsible for the most MCL injuries. Intercollegiate athletes (males more than females) are most at risk for MCL sprain in an intercollegiate cohort, with an average of just over 3 weeks of time lost due to mild sprains as recently reported by Roach et al.