Swelling and pain in left side of left knee

[Mack77]

My dad is 62, and has previously torn his ACL on his left knee. He did that in February 2005 and had reconstruction [allografted] in April 2005. The doctors were amazed by how quickly he recovered. He has been running and skiing all winter.

I'm not sure if the ACL thing is even relevant to this problem, but I thought it would be best to give enough information.

Anyways, he was walking in between two closely spaced pallets at the store he works at, when he turned his left foot to fit through and something happened in his left knee. He continued working through the pain, and by the time he got home, it was swollen to a pretty large size. This was Thursday night. (the 16th) It is still swollen now. The swelling is VERY clearly concentrated on the left side of the knee. He can bend and straighten it completely, and squatting causes no pain. Walking, however, is painful, and after about one hour, makes it very, very, swollen.

What could be the problem? How can it be treated?

[matthew rhode]

its impossible to say without examing the knee.  it may be just the knee reacting to being over used or even aggrevating the old injury.  if the knee feels stable and is not giving way then its unlikely to be the ACL.  however, meniscle damage often occurs in ACL injuries and this can cause swelling.  also twisting, like the foot movement you discribed, especially if the foot is anchored to the floor at the time can also cause meniscle damage.  is there any popping/clicking or locking of the knee?  if not and the knee is not giving way, its probably nothing major.  its always best to get things checked out though even if its to give you peace of mind.  try ice on the knee 3 times a day for 15 - 20 minutes, wear a support bandage during the day, not when sleeping, and elevate the leg when possible to help reduce the swelling.  best of luck

[Heather M.]

That's good advice.  As good as surgeons are, they can't duplicate the knee mechanics quite like mother nature, and this impacts reconstructed knees.  Knees with former ACL reconstructions are much more likely than unreconstructed knees to have problems with meniscal tears.  Here is some basic information about meniscus problems:  http://www.steadman-hawkins.com/meniscus/overview.asp  Here are additional details on ACL tears and reconstructions:  http://www.steadman-hawkins.com/acl/overview.asp

Your father could have any number of problems.  It's best to see if things calm down with a few days of RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation), but if not, then he should return to his surgeon.  Even if it's only for his peace of mind.

Hope he feels better soon.

Heather