Re-torn ACL or something else?

[birdman829]

Hey there. So I tore my left ACL a while back, reconstructed (patellar autograft) in october/november of 2009. Had a weird incident skiing in February of this year. sort of lost my balance and then saved it but felt like I tweaked my knee a bit. Stretched it out and it felt ok and I skied the rest of the day without incident.

The next day and for maybe a week or so after it was a little sore and stiff, but not really swollen. I figured just tweaked/sprained it a bit but I was nervous obviously due to the prior recon. It felt better after a week or two but I didn't ski or really work out much during the rest of February and early March. School, life, and a little laziness got in the way. Spring has sprung though and I've been out on the bike and working it a lot more and I feel like it's deteriorated.

The last couple days it seems to click (sometimes with a sharp pain) as it nears full extension sometimes. I don't know if I'm actually feeling instability along with it or if I just don't trust it due to the pain and cracking and its a mental thing. One thing that I did notice is that if I'm seated in a chair and try to do a leg extension I get a weird sensation as if it doesn't want to make it there sometimes. After I do it a few times it feels better. It's always cracked occasionally or been a little sore more than my other knee, but not with a sharp pain associated with it.

So basically I'm scared shitless I re-tore my repaired ACL. But hoping that maybe I just tweaked it in some other way, maybe something to do with stretching it mroe and beating up on my out of shape legs a bit. So I should probably go to the ortho and I'm pretty nervous about it. What does this sound like? ACL tear? Or maybe a meniscus tear and that's the clicking/pain? Something else?

[Orthoski]

Birdman - I would not jump to the conclusion that you re-tore your ACL, but it's definitely worth getting checked out by your surgeon (a quick exam should clear things up greatly). But don't live in a doomsday mindset until the appt - it is reassuring that you were able to ski the rest of the day and many people that re-tear their ACLs, given the expertise gained by living through it once, know it pretty quickly. Keep us posted on what your surgeon says and best of luck.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

I'm no doctor but the symptoms you describe sound a lot more like possible meniscus damage than ACL tear. Both times I've torn my ACL it hurt like a bitch and I was unable to ski on it afterwards.