Knee reconstruction surgery

TORN FROM A TWIST
Your ACL may be injured when you twist your knee beyond its normal range of motion. When you are on skis, for example, you may ìcatch an edge,î twisting your lower leg outward or inward. You might hear or feel a pop and have pain, swelling, or too much ìplayî in your knee. A complete tear of your ACL is like the unravelling of rope fibres. A partial tear can also occur but it is rare. You may injure other parts of your knee at the same time as you injure your ACL.

MEDIAL COLLATERAL LIGAMENT (MCL)
Your MCL also connects your femur to your tibia, but this ligament runs along the inside of your joint. An outside blow to the knee tears the MCL much like a strap stretched too far: it snaps.

AN IMPACT INJURY
When your knee is struck from the outside, it is stretched beyond its normal range of motion, which can cause the MCL to tear. If your MCL snaps, you might hear or feel a pop and your knee may buckle sideways. Pain and swelling are common, and either a complete or partial tear is possible. It's not unusual to tear the meniscus or ACL at the same time.

YOUR ORTHOPAEDIC EVALUATION
When you injure your knee, all you know at first is that something is wrong. An examination quickly sheds some light on your injury - what caused it and which tissue is injured — giving a diagnosis that can be used to plan your treatment.

MEDICAL HISTORY
Your situation will be evaluated with a few questions about your injury and symptoms to reach a diagnosis. Your goals for returning to activity help indicate which treatment plan might work best for you.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
A hands-on examination comes next. It can help to pinpoint the location of your problem. Checking for abnormal motion in your knee and for swelling or tenderness are all part of this examination.