Will my MCL and ACL injury heal in time?

TomB

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Feb 6, 2018
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I was recently in a car accident and went to get my knee checked out by a doctor and he said that my acl feels loose compared to my right and my mcl seems sprained. I do not know for certain if it is my acl but if it is, I believe it will be a grade 1 since I have been feeling a lot better since the accident. I currently am wearing a knee brace for the injury. I have gotten an mri but my appointment for check up is a month away. I have a very good chamce of getting into a service academy as well and I just don’t want to ruin any chances of my admission. Does anyone know if my knee will heal in time or does anyone know who I can contact at DoDMERB without risking my medical qualification?
 
Get more than one doctor to look at it, and make sure it's a sports medicine type.
Also remember that Orthopedic Surgeons are CUTTERS. They want to fix you with surgery, because when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
You don't need a prescription to see a physical therapist and get an evaluation now, so that's an option as well.
 
@THParent , Sorry, but that may be the worst advice I have ever read. The only part of your comment with which I agree is to get a second opinion if needed. Please tell me that you are not a medical professional.

I have read tens of thousads of MSK MRs for over 30 different orthopedist. I have never in my 20 plus year career seen one unnecessary orthopedic surgery performed. If a young adults has a significant muscular, ligamentous, or bony injury, then an orthopedist would absolutely be the best physician to consult. A physical therapist works at the direction of a physician and would be great to see once an injury is properly evaluated and a diagnosis requiring physical therapy is made.
 
You can wait a month to find out or get a copy of your MRI (disc) and find a less busy source to read it. Without getting the MRI read, you will not know if you have a tear. Good luck.
 
I guarantee the MR has a final report. Almost all are read same day. He can get a copy of the final report as well as the disc with the images from the site it was performed.
 
I guarantee the MR has a final report. Almost all are read same day. He can get a copy of the final report as well as the disc with the images from the site it was performed.
Should always get a disc and copy of reports dor your own records, especially military records. Ratings for disability can be made or broken because of self-stored/missing data.
 
Any diagnosis must be reported to DODMERB. Plain and simple.

You haven't been diagnosed yet, so don't assume or consult Dr. Google. Do your diligent rehab and focus on healing.
 
@THParent , Sorry, but that may be the worst advice I have ever read. The only part of your comment with which I agree is to get a second opinion if needed. Please tell me that you are not a medical professional.

I have read tens of thousads of MSK MRs for over 30 different orthopedist. I have never in my 20 plus year career seen one unnecessary orthopedic surgery performed. If a young adults has a significant muscular, ligamentous, or bony injury, then an orthopedist would absolutely be the best physician to consult. A physical therapist works at the direction of a physician and would be great to see once an injury is properly evaluated and a diagnosis requiring physical therapy is made.

Nope. Not a medical professional! If you're an Orthopod, I am sorry for taking a dump in your Cheerios.

The OP said "sprained" and "loose", not "torn". That's a fairly important distinction if you actually read the post.
A sprained ACL or MCL can get better on it's own, without surgery.
PTs are not required to work at the direction of a Physician in most states. This used to be the case years ago, but no more.
You can walk right into an outpatient PT clinic and get evaluated and treated.

I get it though. Maplerock's advice was by far the best.
 
@THParent , Sorry, but that may be the worst advice I have ever read. The only part of your comment with which I agree is to get a second opinion if needed. Please tell me that you are not a medical professional.

I have read tens of thousads of MSK MRs for over 30 different orthopedist. I have never in my 20 plus year career seen one unnecessary orthopedic surgery performed. If a young adults has a significant muscular, ligamentous, or bony injury, then an orthopedist would absolutely be the best physician to consult. A physical therapist works at the direction of a physician and would be great to see once an injury is properly evaluated and a diagnosis requiring physical therapy is made.

Nope. Not a medical professional! If you're an Orthopod, I am sorry for taking a dump in your Cheerios.

The OP said "sprained" and "loose", not "torn". That's a fairly important distinction if you actually read the post.
A sprained ACL or MCL can get better on it's own, without surgery.
PTs are not required to work at the direction of a Physician in most states. This used to be the case years ago, but no more.
You can walk right into an outpatient PT clinic and get evaluated and treated.

I get it though. Maplerock's advice was by far the best.


To THParent: I am not an orthopedist. So you didn’t “take a dump in my Cheerios”. (But nice language though). I am a radiologist and specialize in MR sports injuries. I interpret MRs from 5 different Otho groups. And the OP said that whoever evaluated him said his ACL felt comparatively “loose”.

‘The OP said "sprained" and "loose", not "torn".”
This is why you get the MR. If the clinician knows for certain that there is only a sprain on physical examination then no need for an MR. Since an MR was done then the clinician was not sure of a diagnosis of a sprain. In fact, the “loose” comment is the most concerning. If the ACL is “loose” on physical exam (positive anterior Drawer sign, Lachman test and/or Pivot Shift test) then the possibility of an ACL complete rupture remains in play. I have personally seen numerous athletes walk and even play on complete ruptured ACLs for months, so assumptions in medicine can lead to a significant delay in treatment. The answer is ALWAYS on the MR which is why the OP needs the MR report pronto in order to determine if a more urgent course is required. There are differing therapeutic regimens which certainly may be non surgical depending on severity of sprain or partial tear. The key here is that the OP does not have a definitive diagnosis. PLEASE don’t give unqualified medical advice especially if you have no legitimate credentials to give that advice.

To the OP: Get your MR report and disc (the information is yours to get). If the MR report says you have a torn ligament/meniscus or significant articular cartilage injury, then call an orthopedist’s office and tell them that you have a significant joint injury that requires you to see an Ortho ASAP. If that’s the case, a good Orthopedist will see you this week. If they put you off, then call a different one. You can PM me if you have any more specific questions. Please do not listen to anyone who is NOT a medical professional giving “expert” advice.
 
@THParent , Sorry, but that may be the worst advice I have ever read. The only part of your comment with which I agree is to get a second opinion if needed. Please tell me that you are not a medical professional.

I have read tens of thousads of MSK MRs for over 30 different orthopedist. I have never in my 20 plus year career seen one unnecessary orthopedic surgery performed. If a young adults has a significant muscular, ligamentous, or bony injury, then an orthopedist would absolutely be the best physician to consult. A physical therapist works at the direction of a physician and would be great to see once an injury is properly evaluated and a diagnosis requiring physical therapy is made.

Nope. Not a medical professional! If you're an Orthopod, I am sorry for taking a dump in your Cheerios.

The OP said "sprained" and "loose", not "torn". That's a fairly important distinction if you actually read the post.
A sprained ACL or MCL can get better on it's own, without surgery.
PTs are not required to work at the direction of a Physician in most states. This used to be the case years ago, but no more.
You can walk right into an outpatient PT clinic and get evaluated and treated.

I get it though. Maplerock's advice was by far the best.


To THParent: I am not an orthopedist. So you didn’t “take a dump in my Cheerios”. (But nice language though). I am a radiologist and specialize in MR sports injuries. I interpret MRs from 5 different Otho groups. And the OP said that whoever evaluated him said his ACL felt comparatively “loose”.

‘The OP said "sprained" and "loose", not "torn".”
This is why you get the MR. If the clinician knows for certain that there is only a sprain on physical examination then no need for an MR. Since an MR was done then the clinician was not sure of a diagnosis of a sprain. In fact, the “loose” comment is the most concerning. If the ACL is “loose” on physical exam (positive anterior Drawer sign, Lachman test and/or Pivot Shift test) then the possibility of an ACL complete rupture remains in play. I have personally seen numerous athletes walk and even play on complete ruptured ACLs for months, so assumptions in medicine can lead to a significant delay in treatment. The answer is ALWAYS on the MR which is why the OP needs the MR report pronto in order to determine if a more urgent course is required. There are differing therapeutic regimens which certainly may be non surgical depending on severity of sprain or partial tear. The key here is that the OP does not have a definitive diagnosis. PLEASE don’t give unqualified medical advice especially if you have no legitimate credentials to give that advice.

To the OP: Get your MR report and disc (the information is yours to get). If the MR report says you have a torn ligament/meniscus or significant articular cartilage injury, then call an orthopedist’s office and tell them that you have a significant joint injury that requires you to see an Ortho ASAP. If that’s the case, a good Orthopedist will see you this week. If they put you off, then call a different one. You can PM me if you have any more specific questions. Please do not listen to anyone who is NOT a medical professional giving “expert” advice.
The one thing I would add to this is that, in my experience, radiology facilities often don't want to give the report to the patient - they send it to the doctor's office and tell you if you want the report to talk to your doctor. The reason given is that they don't want the uneducated patient attempting to interpret what the radiology report means, and making medical decisions based on it. They want the doctor to provide the results to you so they can explain what it means. This may vary from region to region, but it is my experience.
 
I had noodles for lunch today.
 
I can talk from experience... I fell on my knees on a hardwood floor. Got an MRI and my diagnostic was: I had an intrasubstance tear of the ACL and a tear in the posterior horn of my medial meniscus on my left knee... I HEALED without any surgery at all. But that took about 5 years with physical therapy, exercise and a good diet change.

Injury happened on 2012 and I got released from any therapy on 2017. First thing I did when I got injured, I went to an Orthopedic Surgeon and he made me get an MRI on the affected knee (left)... He recommended anthroscopic surgery or physical therapy (since I was not that active at the moment)... He advised that if I chose to get the surgery I would need to take some time off to heal well. At the moment I could not stop my life and I actually did not felt that bad (pain was mild) so I chose to go with the PT and protected my knee with a brace ocassionally.

I am in AFROTC now, no issues with knees at all and I am cleared by my doctor. I have run miles and miles without pain. I disclosed this previous injury on my DODMERB and they are DQ'ing me for "History of Uncorrected ACL or Ligament injury." I am waiting to hear back on what the decision is in terms of a waiver. I sent a LOT of documentation to help me get cleared. I am hoping for the best. So yeah, it's possible but it will depend on the magnitude of the tear and where the tear is and it could take some time... I was one of the lucky ones.

Follow the advice of @TrueBlue88 and good luck. Any questions let me know.
 
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