MCL, PCL, LCL & Patellar Dislocation: Are you confident you’re choosing the right treatment pathway?
When your patient presents with an MCL, PCL, LCL injury, or traumatic patellar dislocation, should you brace, refer for imaging, commence rehab immediately or seek an orthopaedic opinion?
And how do you confidently guide your patient through their rehab and return to sport?
Clare Walsh (Specialist Sports & Exercise Physiotherapist, FACP) walks you through the real-world management of acute knee ligament injuries and patellar dislocations, bridging the gap between theory, evidence and practical clinical decision-making.
Confidently support your patients through complex acute knee injuries with clarity, precision and confidence.
In this presentation, you’ll follow real clinical examples and unpack current research to strengthen your decision-making around MCL, PCL, LCL injuries and traumatic patellar dislocation.
Inside this presentation you’ll explore:
- MCL injuries: How grading, valgus testing and mechanism of injury guide bracing decisions, rehab progression and referral pathways
- PCL management: When conservative treatment is appropriate, the role of dynamic PCL bracing, and key rehab considerations to optimise ligament healing
- LCL injuries: How to avoid overdiagnosis and recognise true lateral ligament pathology through precise subjective and objective assessment
- Traumatic patellar dislocation: How to identify this commonly misdiagnosed injury, differentiate it from other traumatic knee injuries and understand the role of MPFL injury, bony morphology and haemarthrosis
- Imaging & referrals: When MRI is essential, when it’s optional, and how to use imaging to guide management decisions
- Conservative vs surgical options: What the latest evidence reveals and how to apply clinical reasoning to real patients
- Bracing protocols that matter: How brace type, angle restriction and duration vary with each of these injuries and influence healing outcomes
- Complications to watch for: Including Pellegrini-Stieda lesions, ongoing instability, recurrent dislocation, stiffness and delayed progress in rehabilitation
- Return-to-sport principles: Timeframes, readiness indicators and practical criteria for safe progression
You’ll walk away with:
- Clear clinical frameworks for assessing and managing acute knee ligament injuries
- Improved diagnostic confidence to reduce misclassification and overtreatment
- Structured rehab progressions for ligament and patellar injuries
- Enhanced clinical reasoning for surgical vs non-surgical shared decision-making
- Practical strategies to manage instability, fear and movement avoidance
- Tools to educate patients and guide expectations around recovery timelines
Designed for:
Physiotherapists, Physical Therapists, Sports Therapists and Health Professionals who want to confidently manage complex acute knee injuries — whether in clinic, on the sidelines or in high-performance environments.
Move beyond uncertainty, inconsistent protocols and guesswork.
This presentation empowers you to make confident, informed decisions for your patients with acute knee injuries.
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