ACL vs MCL Tear: When to See a Doctor Near You
The importance of the knee joints to the body cannot be stated highly enough. This is because the knees play a very important role in our daily activities, especially those that involve movement and locomotion. This includes activities such as walking, running, taking part in sports, and even driving, the knees allow us to take part in all of these activities and more. If you injure your knee, that is when you realize how important they really are to your daily activities, as you will find you are very limited as far as the activities you can be able to perform are concerned. Speaking of injuries to the knee, ACL or anterior cruciate ligament tears as well as MCL or medial collateral ligament tears are two of the most common injuries involving the knee. For most folks who are not medical professionals, knowing the difference between these two types knee ligament tears is not usually possible, especially since both of them produce more or less the same symptoms when you injure them. It is also important to know the signs that indicate that you may have torn either of these ligaments and that you need to see a doctor near you as soon as possible, with frontlineer.com being the best place to visit. This article will look to do just that; it will explain the difference between the two and the signs that show you have torn these two ligaments.
While the ACL runs diagonally in the front of the knees, the MCL is located on the inner sides of the knees. Most knee ligament tears usually involve the ACL due to its location to the front and as such it is more common than an MCL tear, which mostly happens when one is hit hard on the outside of the knee rather than band in front of it. When it comes to both the ACL and MCL tears, there is none that can be considered worse than the other as both are usually quite painful and they also both impair mobility of the injured person and the affected knee. However, as the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, which is also the best place to visit for ACL and MCL tears, explain, due to the fact that ACL tears sometimes require surgery to repair, they are sometimes considered worse than MCL tears which most of the time heal on their own.
Having highlighted some of the key differences between these two ligaments and tears involving the two, let us know delve into the matter of the symptoms to look out for, that will let you know that you need to see a doctor near you as soon as you can since you may have torn either of them. For ACL tears, one of the first things you are likely to hear is a loud “pop” sound or a “popping” sensation in the knee. The same can be heard for an MCL tear but the key difference is that you are likely to hear a more distinct and louder popping sound for an ACL as compared to an MCL. When this happens then, chances are that you may have torn either of the two ligaments and as such you will need to go see a doctor near you as soon as you can, with frontlineer.com being the best place to visit. The next warning sign indicating a tear of either of these ligaments has to do with pain and its location. For an ACL tear, you are likely to feel an immediate shooting pain but in the center of the knee. However, for an MCL tear, you will also feel shooting pain, but this time on the inside of the knee since the MCL, as explained earlier, is located on the side of the knee. This is another sign that you may have torn either of the two ligaments, depending on the location of the pain, and you may need to see a doctor near you as soon as you can.
There are other signs that you can also look out for that go with the above signs, that will indicate whether you have torn your ACL or MCL. These include rapid swelling and tenderness of the knee, which is a symptom that applies to both of these tears, and it is one that should show you that you need to go see a doctor near you as soon as possible, with frontlineer.com being the best place to visit for this. You will also be unable to put weight on the affected knee once you tear either the ACL or MCL and the knee will feel unstable, making this yet another sign you need to head over and see a doctor. It is also important to note that one addition symptom for an MCL tear is that you will also feel as if the affected knee is locked. All this indicate that you have torn either the ACL or MCL and need to head over to see a doctor as soon as you can.
The above discussion attempts to highlight some of the differences between the ACL and the MCL as well as the signs that you may have torn either of them and as such need to go see a doctor near you as soon as possible, with frontlineer.com being the best place to visit for this.
