Re-torn ACL or something else?

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?



:(

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.

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.