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May, 2025

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ACL first steps

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BrightFrog
Posts: 593 - Karma: 1,679
So I am 90% confident I tore my ACL and maybe more in the BC yesterday, and now I’m wondering... what do you do? I mean it hurts but it’s hardly ER worthy, especially with the restrictions. I assume everybody has torn one so I’m wondering what advice you would give a first timer.
4 years ago
5 2
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PimpChimpin
Posts: 1287 - Karma: 12,586
Get an appointment at the hospital? You can never be too sure with injury’s so play it safe.
4 years ago
12 0
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AlaskaDogfart
Posts: 267 - Karma: 2,926
try and get an appointment with an orthopedic doctor
4 years ago
6 0
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armchair_skier
Posts: 2684 - Karma: 34,483
Tear your other acl and if it feels like your other knee then you know you need to see a doctor (because you probably tore ur acl)
4 years ago
14 0
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KCoCM
Posts: 963 - Karma: 8,787
don’t be a retard
4 years ago
3 0
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mikemac
Posts: 1298 - Karma: 3,711
get an mri, schedule surgery if needed, start going to PT before and after surgery. Really no other way around it unless you wanna stay gimpy forever
4 years ago
4 0
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weastcoat
Posts: 6507 - Karma: 75,444
For anyone who has done it, What does a torn acl feel like? Hope I never have to know the answer to that by first hand experience but I’m genuinely curious
4 years ago
2 0
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AlaskaDogfart
Posts: 267 - Karma: 2,926
weastcoastFor anyone who has done it, What does a torn acl feel like? Hope I never have to know the answer to that by first hand experience but I’m genuinely curious


It feels like a pop in your knee and excrutiating pain when it happens, later on, your knee feels very unstable.
4 years ago
2 0
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mikemac
Posts: 1298 - Karma: 3,711
weastcoastFor anyone who has done it, What does a torn acl feel like? Hope I never have to know the answer to that by first hand experience but I’m genuinely curious

Just did my second just-ACL in 12 years, so I got a refresher on exactly how it feels, and...

it feels like a wet rag twisting inside your knee, a moment of excruciating pain right before the pop/rupture followed by nothing because the entity emitting the sharp pain has ceased to exist

(the ligament fully ruptures in the event of a full tear, and the arteries attached to it are still bleeding afterwards, causing the swelling and lingering dull pain)
4 years ago
4 0
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Redeem
Posts: 83 - Karma: 503
Call your primary doctor and get a referral for an MRI and an Orthopedic Surgeon. Have your MRI sent to the ortho you will see before you see them and they will be able to tell you right away instead of making 2 appointments.
4 years ago
0 0
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Goetj44
Posts: 21 - Karma: 154
I hurt my knee earlier this season. I was sure I tore my MCL if not ACL. I didn’t ski for three weeks till it didn’t hurt when I was just walking around. I took it supper easy in deep snow and big mountain, freaking grabs hurt like a bitch. However after babying my knee for most of season I just realized my knees feel exactly the same in strength. This probably isn’t the best idea as I’m sure I just got lucky and partially tore something that eventually healed itself. Honestly now the knee I didn’t injure hurts more then the one I did hurt. I don’t know it’s always an option. It’s the end of the season maybe just baby it and try not to walk to much for a month, just see how it feels after that.
4 years ago
0 3
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BrightFrog
Posts: 593 - Karma: 1,679
imma just eat fruit and it’ll grow back
4 years ago
1 1
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wameron
Posts: 1242 - Karma: 1,323
mikemacget an mri, schedule surgery if needed, start going to PT before and after surgery. Really no other way around it unless you wanna stay gimpy forever


Can't stress enough the value of PT before surgery. I tore mine in college and so it was a few months before I could have surgery but I was doing pre-surgery PT the whole time. My meniscus ended up healing itself and so I was able to walk a week after and overall the post-surgery PT process went way better.
4 years ago
2 0
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Thegenericskier
Posts: 2941 - Karma: 34,670
weastcoastFor anyone who has done it, What does a torn acl feel like? Hope I never have to know the answer to that by first hand experience but I’m genuinely curious


After you feel a pop your knee feels like it’s on fire and very unstable
4 years ago
0 0
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