Medial Collateral Ligament Sprain Rehabilitation Exercises

You may do the first 6 exercises right away. You may do the remaining exercises when you have less pain and swelling in your knee.

• Passive knee extension: Do this exercise if you are unable to fully extend your knee. While lying on your back, place a rolled-up towel underneath the heel of your injured leg so the heel is about 6 inches off the ground. Relax your leg muscles and let gravity slowly straighten your knee. You may feel some discomfort while doing this exercise. Try to hold this position for 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Do this exercise several times per day. This exercise can also be done while sitting in a chair with your heel on another chair or stool.
• Heel slide: Sit on a firm surface with your legs straight in front of you. Slowly slide the heel of your injured leg leg toward your buttock by pulling your knee to your chest as you slide. Return to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 10.
• Prone knee bend: Lie on your stomach with your legs straight out behind you. Bend your knee so that your heel comes toward your buttocks. Hold 5 seconds. Relax and return your foot to the floor. Do 3 sets of 10. As this becomes easier you can add weights to your ankle.
• Straight leg raise: Lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you. Bend the knee on your uninjured side and place the foot flat on the floor. Tighten the thigh muscle of the other leg and lift it about 8 inches off the floor, keeping the thigh muscle tight throughout. Slowly lower your leg back down to the floor. Do 3 sets of 10.
• Side-lying leg lift: Lying on your uninjured side, tighten the front thigh muscles on your top leg and lift that leg 8 to 10 inches away from the other leg. Keep the leg straight and lower slowly. Do 3 sets of 10.
• Knee stabilization: Wrap a piece of elastic tubing around the ankle of the uninjured leg. Tie a knot in the other end of the tubing and close it in a door.
  1. Stand facing the door on the leg without tubing and bend your knee slightly, keeping your thigh muscles tight. While maintaining this position, move the leg with the tubing straight back behind you. Do 3 sets of 10.
  2. Turn 90 degrees so the leg without tubing is closest to the door. Move the leg with tubing away from your body. Do 3 sets of 10.
  3. Turn 90 degrees again so your back is to the door. Move the leg with tubing straight out in front of you. Do 3 sets of 10.
  4. Turn your body 90 degrees again so the leg with tubing is closest to the door. Move the leg with tubing across your body. Do 3 sets of 10.

  Hold onto a chair if you need help balancing. This exercise can be made even more challenging by standing on a pillow while you move the leg with tubing.

• Wall squat: Stand with your back, shoulders, and head against a wall and look straight ahead. Keep your shoulders relaxed and your feet 1 foot away from the wall and a shoulder's width apart. Keeping your head against the wall, slide down the wall, lowering your buttocks toward the floor until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Make sure to tighten the thigh muscles as you slowly slide back up to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 10. Increasing the amount of time you are in the lowered position helps strengthen your quadriceps muscles.
• Step-up: Stand with the foot of your injured leg on a support (like a small step or block of wood) 3 to 5 inches high. Keep your other foot flat on the floor. Shift your weight onto your injured leg on the support straighten your knee as the other leg comes off the floor. Lower your leg back to the floor slowly. Do 3 sets of 10.
• Resisted terminal knee extension: Make a loop from a piece of elastic tubing by tying a knot in both ends. Close both knots in a door. Step into the loop so the tubing is around the back of your injured leg. Lift the other foot off the ground. Hold onto a chair for balance, if needed. Bend the knee on the leg with tubing about 45 degrees. Slowly straighten your leg, keeping your thigh muscle tight as you do this. Do this 10 times. Do 3 sets. An easier way to do this is to stand on both legs for better support while you do the exercise.
• Wobble board exercises:
  1. Stand on a wobble board with your feet shoulder width apart. Rock the board forwards and backwards 30 times, then side to side 30 times. Hold on to a chair if you need support.
  2. Rotate the wobble board around so that the edge of the board is in contact with the floor at all times. Do this 30 times in a clockwise and then a counterclockwise direction.
  3. Balance on the wobble board for as long as you can without letting the edges touch the floor. Try to do this for 2 minutes without touching the floor.
  4. Rotate the wobble board in clockwise and counterclockwise circles, but do not allow the edge of the board to touch the floor.
  5. When you have mastered exercises A through D, try repeating them while standing on only one leg (your injured leg).
  6. Once you can do these exercises on one leg, try to do them with your eyes closed. Make sure you have something nearby to support you in case you lose your balance.