Need advice please

[Jbriss]

Hello everyone. I'm new here. I injured my knee back on July 27th. I saved myself from falling by planting foot while my upper body twisted. I heard and felt pop and crunch/grinding sensation in knee. Swelled up and hurt for a few hours. Swelling and pain subsided but kept getting sharp stabbing pain in my knee. Ended up at ortho who upon initial check thought cartilage. Gave it 2 weeks anti inflammatory drugs and ice to see if it improved. No improvement so he sent me for MRI which showed partial ACL tear and bruised bones.  Prescribed PT and brace. Knee got stronger but stabbing pain still occurring, and more frequently. Just had follow up appointment and ortho said sorry your knee isn't better. Not sure why you are experiencing pain. Nothing I can do for you. Come back if it gets worse. Well, I told him
today it was worse and he said ge couldn't do anything. Physical Therapist suggested maybe there was loose cartilage in the knee that didn't show up on MRI. what should my next step be, or do I just live with this excruciating knee pain that only happens intermittently and lasts no longer than 10 minutes when it occurs?

[TwoBadKneesUSA]

Get a second opinion...from a different OS.

[elliottl73]

Get another opinion my MRI was clean. I am now waiting for third sugery this year.

[brianwith2ndknee]

I agree with the others and another opinion is needed . My first MRI never showed the damaged floating cartlidge . So with the swelling and pain coming and going , the OS had my MRI sent to another MRI specialist . He mentioned a possibility of a very rare tear of the rea miniscus . After the OS scoped my leg is when they realized that I had the floating cartlidge from a prior injury . So as my leg moved in different ways so did the floating cartlidge . That was the explanation for pain and swelling some days and not others .  I ended up mith a MF which lasted for 1 1/2 years and now am recovering from an OAT's procedure and reconstruction . Wish you the best of luck with the new OS.

[brianwith2ndknee]

Get another opinion my MRI was clean. I am now waiting for third sugery this year.

Laurie ,
What procedure are you actually having done with the transplant / transfer ?

[kittent1211]

I would find a differnt OS.  It took me several attampts before I found a doctor who took my knee pain seriously....who didn't tell me that it's just arthritis and take some asperin.

[Snowy]

Definitely get a second opinion. Your OS owes you a better explanation than "don't know, come back if it gets worse."

Based on your description, there are three quite likely scenarios:

1) Bone bruising is really painful, and can take up to six months (or even a bit longer in really stubborn cases) to heal fully. It's possible that the pain is a result of this, and will improve as the bone bruising heals. Unfortunately, this is a very slow process.

2) You may have meniscus damage that didn't show up on the MRI. It's very common to damage the meniscus in a fall that tears the ACL, and this could cause the kind of stabbing pain that you describe.

3) The ACL provides critical lateral stability for the knee joint. When it tears, you no longer have that lateral support and the knee is prone to further injury, especially during lateral movements. This is true of a partial tear that leaves the ACL lax as well as a full ACL tear. Manual testing should show whether your ACL is still providing support or whether you have enough laxity in the joint for it to be a concern. If you're experiencing the pain during lateral movements, this is another possible culprit.

I would caution that this is by no means an authoritative list (I'm not a doctor, just a fellow ACL patient), but from my understanding and experience these are three very likely causes for ongoing pain following an ACL tear. The best case scenario is the first one, but a torn ACL isn't something you want to take a chance with because of the risk of ongoing damage to the joint if the knee has been left lax. My advice would be to seek a second opinion, not just for the ongoing pain but for a course of action for managing a partially torn ACL. At the very least your OS should have recommended a physio program to help you build up the muscles around the knee to provide additional support for the joint.

I'm sorry your OS hasn't given you more guidance on this, and it's definitely not something you should just have to live with. Best of luck.

[elliottl73]

Brian,
I am having an ACI procedure and possible osteotomy I will find out about the osteotomy and my pre op appoinment.

Laurie