MCL potential reinjury question

Sorry if this is covered elsewhere. I tore my MCL late April. Locked Dynafit toes and hit shrub. Nine months later...I’ve skied about 25 days no issues all, even skiing hard, etc. Skinning up resort this AM...I went to take skins off, standing. Slipped, and popped out of locked toe (still was in climbing mode). Didn’t think much of it. Had nice ski down. At parking lot, I started to think I might feel something. Bent my knee onwards strongly and felt a strong pinch at a point, mcl area. No pain when just walking or whatnot. Does that sound just like a tweak, and what the protocol? Couple days or rest? The whole thing makes me nervous. Thanks for the help!

Did it swell on you at all?

This sounds very familiar; hoping not to hijack, but since I'm not a doc I'll just offer a bump and what I have been dealing with lately in case it helps: I torqued my knee hard Tuesday running my ski tip into hard snow with a hard release at the toe. Knee had no dislocation (I've done that a lot on this knee) or lost stability, but very sore and that night a huge bump swelled up on the inside, just forward of the middle. I've had a history of hurting that MCL but usually with dislocation, swelling throughout the knee and loss of ROM. This time just sore around the patella and MCL, but swelling was isolated and is almost gone now, almost 48 hours later.

Since I have the injury history I decided to avoid ibuprofen and ice on the theory that whatever was going on there was what the tissue needed to do. (Not super confident that was the right answer, but that's what I did.) No pain walking or running a few steps. I've been trying to keep it moving a little while resting it but I'm approaching the same decision as you: do I take it up tomorrow on soft new snow? Probably shouldn't...might do it anyway. (Will reduce release setting on that toe.)

Thoughts on a brace?

RICE - that helped me immensely with the discomfort in the days post-MCL/ACL injury. If it's not better in ~1 week, head to the doctor.