Please Help Torn ACL?

Ok...so Monday night I was running on my treadmill and my knee popped and gave out. I ignored it because that is how I am. Tuesday night I ignored the pain and ran again and it popped again and it dropped to me the floor with extreme pain and I could hardly walk. Since then I have just been trying to take it easy and keep ice on it, but it's not getting any better. It is on the exact side of my acl. Did I tear it?

My knee is extremely swollen and walking is almost unbearable. Stairs are impossible...no pain medications or anything really help.

The circumstances sure sound like an ACL tear. Most people who have knee ligament tears say they hear/feel a "pop". The knee usually buckles at the time of injury. With ACL tears the joint may feel unstable (depending on the degree of the tear) as your ACL is the ligament that keeps the tibia (bone in the lower leg) from sliding forward, put from under the femur. If you have a torn ACL going up stairs might prove difficult.

Unfortunately, the signs and symptoms of several different knee injuries are similar to what you have described.When I hurt my knee I felt a pop and really couldn't put weight on it. There was no swelling initially, but when I woke up the next morning there was considerable swelling through my knee and calf. I had an MCL tear, though, and I've heard ACL tears produce less swelling.

You should see a doctor soon. A general practitioner should be able to do some test on you knee (depending on swelling) that involve putting pressure on the knee in different ways to see what gives. The test for ACL deficiency involves keeping the foot and thigh stable with the knee bent and pulling forward on the calf. If it moves forward more than 1/4 inch or so or feels "mushy", you've torn your ACL.

ACL tears basically never get better by themselves. Depending on your lifestyle and the severity of the tear, reconstructive surgery might be needed.