Do I have a sprained knee?

What do i have to do to recover from a sprained knee?

• On Wednesday i sprained my knee playing basketball in our driveway. I went to a walk in doctor and she said its the worst swelling of a knee she's seen. She told me to go to the emergency clinic...so i did. Then their they to were surprised about how big my swollen knee was so they told me that i could have broken cartilage or a bone. Thank God i didn't. They took an x-ray and said that their was major swelling and it was sprained. now i have a cast and crouches. The swelling has dramatically decreased and im able to put my weight on it (140lb). But since im a basketball player i want to get back on the court asap! In fact i have a large tourni this weekend! so what should i eat and do to make me able to play asap!

• Answer:

  It sure sounds as though you tore your ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) which is the main ligament running inside your knee. This is a critical ligament to maintain the stability of your knee. Although it is hard to say without examining your knee, your story and symptoms strongly suggest an ACL tear. There is a possibility that you dislocated your knee cap also, which can cause quite a bit of swelling and pain. Usually, this pain is localized around the edges of the knee cap. I would recommend that you do not play until you have an athletic trainer, physical therapist or orthopedic surgeon test your knee. Walk in docs and ER's are not really trained to accurately test an ACL so I would not rely on what they said. If you did tear it and go out and play, you could cause significantly more damage which will lead to early arthritis...not worth it. Good luck! Regards, MikeG www.myPTpro.com