During four academic years (1974-1978) at a major university, 51 of 70 knee injuries sustained by football players were Grade I or II sprains of the medial collat eral ligament of the knee. All were managed identically with an active rehabilitation program involving partial or no immobilization. Players with Grade I sprains returned to full, unprotected participation after an average of 10.6 days of time loss; those with Grade II sprains returned after 19.5 days. Neither group showed an appreciably increased likelihood of rein- jury. The likelihood of sustaining any knee injury was more than three times greater during spring as op posed to fall football.
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