Six weeks.
Symptoms of LCL Injury. Symptoms of an LCL injury can be mild or severe, depending on the severity of the sprain or whether or not it is torn. If the ligament is mildly sprained, you may not have any symptoms at all. For a partial tear or complete tear of the ligament, your symptoms may include: 1  swelling in the knee Treatment. On average, it takes six weeks for a MCL injury to heal. The initial treatment for most grade 1, 2 or 3 MCL tears focuses on reducing the pain and inflammation in the knee while immobilizing the knee to keep it stabilized. 1 A grade 2 tear can take from two to four weeks to heal. 2  A grade 3 tear usually takes from four to eight weeks to heal, unless it is associated with damage to the ACL, in which case the recovery time may be longer. 1 A minor, or grade 1, MCL tear can take from a few days to a week and a half to heal sufficiently for you to return to normal activities, including sports. 2  A grade 2 tear can take from two to four weeks to heal. 1 A grade 2 tear can take from two to four weeks to heal. 2  A grade 3 tear usually takes from four to eight weeks to heal, unless it is associated with damage to the ACL, in which case the recovery time may be longer. Answer: Well, when considering how long it might take for a sprain to heal, you need to consider that there are varying degrees of sprain injuries. There's a grade one, where the ligament that holds the joint in place is stretched.  Recovery times differ depending on the severity of the injury: 1  A minor, or grade 1, MCL tear can take from a few days to a week and a half to heal sufficiently for you to return to normal activities, including sports. 2  A grade 2 tear can take from two to four weeks to heal. 1 A grade 2 tear can take from two to four weeks to heal. 2  A grade 3 tear usually takes from four to eight weeks to heal, unless it is associated with damage to the ACL, in which case the recovery time may be longer. Lateral ligament sprains are categorized into grade 1, grade 2 or grade 3 sprains depending on the extent of the injury. Grade 1 lateral ligament sprain symptoms include tenderness on the outside of the knee over the ligament. Usually there will be little or no swelling. When the knee is bent to 30 degrees and force applied to the inside of the knee which puts the ligament under stress, pain is felt but there is no joint laxity. Lateral collateral ligament (LCL) sprain occurs when the ligament on the outer side of the knee is overstretched. Collateral ligament knee injuries make up about 25% of severe knee injuries in the United States. They most often occur in adults aged 20-34 years and 55-65 years. LCL sprains mainly happen during sporting activities, including contact and noncontact sports, and affect women and men equally. Get help from a doctor now ›. Depends: Ligaments that have blood supply have the capacity to heal such as medial collateral ligament (mcl) and posterior cruciate ligament (pcl). Time to heal is dependent on the severity of the injury and can range from a few weeks to several weeks. About 6 weeks:: Generally most ligaments (mcl or lcl) take 6 weeks but a lot depends on associated injuries, if any. Compliance with your orthopod's advice is very important, and pt per your doctor's order
http://www.healthline.com/health/lateral-collateral-ligament-lcl-injury https://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/mcl_tear/treatment.html https://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/mcl_tear/treatment.html http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MensHealthQuestions/story?id=7931646 https://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/mcl_tear/treatment.html http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/knee-pain/lcl-sprain http://www.moveforwardpt.com/SymptomsConditionsDetail.aspx?cid=888bce1f-9059-4f59-9a49-118561caef88 https://www.healthtap.com/topics/how-long-does-a-ligament-in-your-knee-take-to-heal
how long does it take an lcl sprain to heal