I tore my ACL and I'm on the road to recovery! (thanks MJ)
So this is the second time I've torn my ACL... I tore my left one about 5 years ago in high school and July 22, 2009, I was playing intramural soccer (who knew there was even intramural soccer in the summer?) and had the same popping sensation. I was just cutting to the right, my knee kind of wobbled, and went left. I knew right when it happened that I did the same thing, and I was hysterical at the field. So after my second ER visit in 1 week, (only 3rd in my entire life), and some Anterior Drawer and Lachman tests where you pull the shin away to test the strength of the ACL, I was told by two of the doctors I work with that my ACL was great, and I probably just sprained my MCL. I didn't really believe them, but I hoped they were right. Too bad they gave me false hopes!
So in case you're wondering what I'm talking about, your ACL is the anterior cruciate ligament, and it runs through the middle of your knee (the middle ligament in the picture that isn't labeled), keeping your tibia (shin) from moving too far from your femur (thigh) and to tear it is way too common of an injury, especially in girls for a lot of reasons--our hips are wider, other anatomical differences, and factors like conditioning and muscle strength. There are a bunch of different training programs that are said to reduce the chance of a tear. Maybe I should look into those...
