What are the Symptoms of an ACL tear?
There will often be a loud, painful pop when the ACL is injured. If the patient tries to stand on the injured leg, the knee may feel unstable and “give way.” The knee will usually have a large amount of swelling shortly after the injury (within 1-2 hours). This swelling is called an effusion and is made up of blood in the knee joint. Over the next several hours, pain will often become more severe and the patient will find it difficult to walk. How is an ACL tear diagnosed? An ACL injury can often be suspected based on the mechanism of injury. The orthopaedic surgeon will examine the knee and will often obtain x-rays and an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) study to confirm the diagnosis of and ACL tear. The initial treatments are to use ice to decrease the swelling and use a knee immobilizer and crutches to protect the knee. We will often have patients return to the clinic in 2-3 weeks after the injury to re-examine the knee after the acute swelling and pain has decreased.
