Best Collateral Ligament (MCL/LCL) Surgeon in Ranchi

What is a collateral ligament tear?

“Sideways stability — and, most of the time, no operation needed.”

The knee is held straight and stable by four main ligaments. Two of them, the collateral ligaments, sit outside the joint on either side: the MCL (medial collateral ligament) runs down the inner side, and the LCL (lateral collateral ligament) runs down the outer side. Together they resist sideways force, stopping the knee from bending inward or outward beyond its normal range.

An MCL tear usually happens when a force pushes the knee inward — a tackle or blow to the outside of the knee in football, a fall in wrestling or kabaddi, or a sudden twist on a planted foot. An LCL tear is less common and usually follows a force pushing the knee outward, or a hyperextension injury, often in a road traffic accident or a high-energy sporting collision. Both are graded I to III by severity: Grade I is a mild stretch with the ligament still intact, Grade II is a partial tear with some looseness, and Grade III is a complete tear.

Here is the distinction that matters most for treatment: the MCL has a rich blood supply and, even when completely torn, usually heals well on its own in a hinged brace. The LCL and the posterolateral corner (the group of structures around it) heal far less reliably and are more likely to leave the knee unstable if left untreated — which is why LCL injuries are treated more cautiously and more often surgically. Diagnosis combines a focused clinical examination — stress-testing the knee at 0° and 30° of bending to feel how much it opens up — with an MRI to confirm the grade and check for associated injuries to the ACL, PCL or meniscus, which change the picture considerably. Dr. Saurav’s approach starts from this honest, evidence-based distinction rather than treating every ligament injury the same way.