How to Ease Fibular Collateral Ligament Pain
Located in the knee, the fibular collateral ligament is also known as the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) since it attaches to the fibula bone, which is on the side of the lower leg (lateral means side). An injury in this area can cause quite a bit of pain. Remember the best treatment for an injured LCL by the acronym PRICE, which focuses on reducing pain through keeping down swelling.
Things You'll Need
- Knee brace or Ace bandage
- Ice pack or bag of frozen vegetables
- Pain relievers
Instructions
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Protect (the "P" in PRICE) the injured area by wearing a knee brace. This will help keep the pain down by guarding against accidental brushes that occur during daily activity. It will also help stabilize it and prevent reinjury.
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2
Rest ("R") your knee as much as possible. Since moving the knee can cause more pain, rest will help minimize it.
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3
Ice ("I") your entire knee and mid-leg area. This will keep the inflammation down. Swollen joints can become itchy and uncomfortable due to increased fluid retention and stretched skin. You only need to ice the area until it becomes numb; there are no therapeutic benefits to ice after that.
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4
Use something to compress ("C") the area and help reduce inflammation. Use a knee brace or Ace bandage.
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Elevate your leg to help reduce the swelling and promote lymph draining. The body's natural response will be to attack the injured fibular collateral ligament with white blood cells, leading to swelling. Elevating the leg, and thus the knee, can help flush the white blood cells and lymph fluid out of the area. Simply rest your leg on a pillow or up against a wall.
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Take a pain reliever. At the beginning of a fibular collateral ligament injury, the pain can be intense, so your doctor can provide something strong enough to take the edge off. After the first few days, you may choose to switch to something over-the-counter, like ibuprofen.
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