Did i completely tear my ACL? I heard a "pop"

Hello guys

Recently, when i was playing basketball, i landed very awkwardly when i attempted to go for a high block on someone. It was a pump fake, but when i landed down, i heard a loud "pop" sound on my right knee. It immediately swelled up, and i couldn't put any pressure on it but i was still able to move my leg a lil (about 10 degrees).

My question is "Did i suffer a complete tear of ACL". I am trying to avoid the doctor, cuz its really expensive. Last year, the same thing happened, on the same knee too, was only a partial tear though ...

Does a "pop" automatically mean a full tear? I was able to walk 1 week after, and now, 1 month after, i have near full range of motion and for the most part, the knee is pain free.

[QUOTE=Blink41;327447901]Hello guys

Recently, when i was playing basketball, i landed very awkwardly when i attempted to go for a high block on someone. It was a pump fake, but when i landed down, i heard a loud "pop" sound on my right knee. It immediately swelled up, and i couldn't put any pressure on it but i was still able to move my leg a lil (about 10 degrees).

My question is "Did i suffer a complete tear of ACL". I am trying to avoid the doctor, cuz its really expensive. Last year, the same thing happened, on the same knee too, was only a partial tear though ...

Does a "pop" automatically mean a full tear? I was able to walk 1 week after, and now, 1 month after, i have near full range of motion and for the most part, the knee is pain free.[/QUOTE]

did you fall knee first or knee pointed up...describing how your leg was when you fell can help deduce whether it was the ACL/PCL/MCL/LCL, etc

I know going to the doctor may be expensive...but you do not want to mess with the ligaments in your knee...first your MCL will go due to an injury...then the ACL follows, etc

its just something that needs serious consideration

[QUOTE=Crazy Monkey;327448771]did you fall knee first or knee pointed up...describing how your leg was when you fell can help deduce whether it was the ACL/PCL/MCL/LCL, etc

I know going to the doctor may be expensive...but you do not want to mess with the ligaments in your knee...first your MCL will go due to an injury...then the ACL follows, etc

its just something that needs serious consideration[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the quick response

I will try to describe the landing the best i can. I reason why i assume it is the ACL is because i suffered a very similar fall last year, and MRI confirmed it was the ACL.

The guy i was defending was a smaller quicker player than i am. He made a quick cut to inside the paint, and i tried to catch up from behind. He got the ball and faked a shot (He is a left handed) so i jumped high up from the side to block the shot. I tried to block with my right hand and landed right foot first. I guess my momentum really pushed my knee outwards and i heard a loud pop and was on the floor.

Not sure how clear my description is but i hope you get the picture...

"pop" in knee is usually a bad sign. I agree get it looked at by an orthopedic. You may benefit from PT to get you knee back without surgery if it is an ACL tear. I see you had torn it before, what did you do to recover?

you might get one get-out-of-jail free card with an ACL injury, via the partial tear, but a second can easily get er done.

go to doc. THey can do simple physical exam to check the ACL. You don't need an MRI for that.

[QUOTE=paul0616;327830861]you might get one get-out-of-jail free card with an ACL injury, via the partial tear, but a second can easily get er done.

go to doc. THey can do simple physical exam to check the ACL. You don't need an MRI for that.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, i might do that this weekend...

To yitmy, i first started off doing various stretches to regain ROM. Once i did that, i began regaining leg strength by squatting, box squatting, straight legged deadlifts.... I didn't do lunges though, which i should of when i recovered, i will definitely do them this time.

Sounds like a complete tear to me, especially with your previous history of a partial tear. The knee will effectively heal back to normal in terms of pain and swelling, though will be incredibly unstable and will tend to give way when you try and turn corners while walking. I suggest going to see an orthopaedic surgeon for the sake of your articular surfaces.

Bink- Does your knee buckle? How about stairs?

[QUOTE=yitmy;327936281]Bink- Does your knee buckle? How about stairs?[/QUOTE]

So far, going up 1 stair at a time is no problem. However, when i try to go up two stairs at a time, my knee feels really unstable.

[QUOTE=melon;327890841]Sounds like a complete tear to me, especially with your previous history of a partial tear. The knee will effectively heal back to normal in terms of pain and swelling, though will be incredibly unstable and will tend to give way when you try and turn corners while walking. I suggest going to see an orthopaedic surgeon for the sake of your articular surfaces.[/QUOTE]

To be quite honest, that was exactly what i didn't want to hear. Unfortunately, what you guys are saying make sense and now i'm really starting to wonder if i really did completely tear any ligaments. I will go to the campus health center tomorrow and hopefully, my insurance will cover orthopaedic doctors.

The buckling issues are due to swelling not so much an ACL tear. If the ACL was torn then after the swelling resolves and the knee rehab the stability will still feel off. When you go to campus health check and see if you can have a therapist look at your knee too.

The ACL is often torn during a sudden dislocation, torsion, or hyperextension of the knee. The ACL is one of 4 knee ligaments that provide stability. A good sports trainer or physical therapist can check to see if the ACL is potentially torn. They perform an Anterior Drawer Test where the tibia is drawn forward (anteriorly) and the amount of movement (play) determines the severity of the damage to the ACL. Ultimately an MRI is required to see the exact damage. Typically when an ACL tear occurs there is the potential for lateral or medial meniscus injury as well.

I had a patella tendon repair for a torn ACL in my left knee. When it tore I also experienced a loud popping sound. The swelling occurred a few hours after the initial injury due to bleeding of the vessels along the torn ACL. My was caused by a hyperextension. Fortunately there was minimal meniscus damage.

It took a good 9 months to completely rehab the knee. The good news is that 16 years later it's still as strong and stable as it ever was. If the repair is done properly (see a well known sports surgeon) you should be able to resume all your activities.

Good Luck!