knee fall, maniscal damage?

[sarahkelly]

But I need to ask, when I went to teh physio today I practically jogged there, no pain no problems, but after they tested my ACL, two of them, (the first was unsure) they really pulled wil everythign they had, well I've not been righ tsince, I'm in a hell of a lot of pain, teh joint feels very unstable, all since earlier today, is it normal for them to be so aggressive? I know they probably have to justify an MRI, but really.....I'm in agony!!!!
I mean I don't even know if I can go out for a walk on it or not now its so painful!!

[sarahkelly]

I'm actually really worried about the possible damage done at yesterday's physio appointment, I was doing really well, practically skipped in and litearlly limped out, i'e in absolute agony since they assessed my knee they were quite aggressive with the ACL tests I know that they had to justify ordering an MRI but seriously, my knee feel incrediblly unstable, very painful and with every move its as if I'm going in one direction and my leg is going in the other. Did the physio assessment bring-on what I had coming anyways or could it have made my acl tear worse? Should I not allow others to carry out such tests in future?

[bikelet]

Sorry to hear about your knee pain. The physio appointment may have aggravated your pain but I doubt that it would have made your tear worse.

If you think about it, the ACL's role is to stop two bones from moving in separate directions- particularly when there is sudden acceleration or decceleration such as when running and changing directions. If the (normal) ACL can handle that amount of force, I doubt that there is much a physio can do to make it worse by tugging on it with the arms, the forces really don't compare. With an injured ACL, it might be more vulnerable but it is still a strong ligament. The other thing to consider is that your muscles will be guarding your knee (even subconsciously) so I don't think that a physio could damage your ACL while you are awake and conscious of them trying to move your leg. ACL injuries tend to occur when there is unanticipated high loading movement which the muscles weren't prepared for.

So at this point in time, I think you could try some gentle range of movement exercises in an attempt to ease your pain. Also try gentle static muscle holds of the quadriceps and hamstrings to help increase feelings of stability and to help with the pain. If you go for the MRI then hopefully you won't have to go through this experience again. You could tell other people about this experience so that they won't be so brutal if they need to do the test again- which they shouldn't really if the physios have made up their mind and referred you off.