Ask The Doctor

Dear Ask The Doctor: I had acl reconstruction surgery about 1 yr and 4 mths ago and I have since had knee stiffness and a prominent click everytime I go to straighten my knee. I've discussed this with my doctor before and at first I was given a brace to wear at night and now I take glucosamine because it seems nothing is helping. Every time I exercise or put a lot of strain on my knee it becomes swollen and painful. Could this be associated with a menisci tear? The last I talked to my doctor, I started glucosamine and it seems to have helped somewhat but barely. He said if I still have problems to come back and he might do a MRI. Is this problem significant or should I just be trying to deal? I'm 20 yrs old now and very active, but don't want this to always be a problem, especially as I get older. Thanks for any help.

Dear Kate: Injuries to the meniscus often accompany knee ligament injuries. However It is unlikely that your surgeon would have missed a meniscus injury while performing your ACL reconstruction. A more likely scenario is that the ACL reconstruction has failed. This is a well known complication of such a surgery. I suggest returning to your orthopedic surgeon and having the MRI done. The MRI should be able to show exactly what is causing your [present complaint. A plan for treatment can then be decided when you have that information.