knee poping after ACL surgery

by gary coon
(missouri)

Why is my knee poping after having ACL recontructive surgery 2 years ago. Sometimes it pops in the morning real loud my wife can even hear it. I does get a little sore sometimes. It does give me a little discomfort sometimes but i do take medicine for the discomfort.

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knee poping after ACL surgery

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Oct 10, 2008
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knee popping
by: Bart - SII

There are many things that can cause your knee to pop after an ACL reconstruction. Most of them are not to worry about, especially if it is only a little sore occasionally.

Scar tissue, joint adhesions, slightly altered mechanics - all of these things can cause the knee to pop and can be present after surgery. You can also have tight tendons (hamstring/IT band) moving over the femoral epicondyles that can cause popping, or slight shifting of the patella - again, all of these things are common and no need to worry unless it is causing consistent and significant pain.

Bart

Mar 03, 2009
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Knee Popping after Surgery
by: Matt

Hello,

I had surgery about 8 weeks ago and have clicking and popping every time I step down with my bad leg. I asked the PT and they said its probably nothing but I am still concerned that its not going to go away. What is the worst case scenario to remedy this problem? Could this be something the surgeon is at fault for? Perhaps I should see a different doctor? I have many questions and would appreciate any feedback.

Thank you
Matt

Apr 27, 2009
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Clicking Knee After ACL Surgery
by: Anonymous

I'm at almost 12 weeks out of acl reconstruction and about 3 1/2 weeks out of a second surgery to remove scar tissue. since I've been walking "normally," my knee clicks a lot and is loud enough for people to hear 5 ft. away from me. My surgeon says it's normal since the muscles around my knee aren't very strong yet. It should eventually go away. My PT wants me to ask him again at my next follow-up in a couple of weeks, as she isn't sure what could be causing it and if it is something I should worry about. The clicking doesn't cause any pain though, but my knee is definitely still swollen, even after almost 12 weeks. I am at about a 125degree bend now, with lots of clicking when I go from straightening to bending. I'll hopefully get a better answer from my surgeon very soon. Good luck! By the way, I'm a 39 year old female who injured my knee playing basketball back in January.

Jul 03, 2009
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ACL problems
by: windy

had acl and both cartillage repaired 7 months ago, surgeon keeps saying its fine even tho it cracks after being tensed at full extension and since returning to rugby trg (no contact) the knee feels stronger but clicking has worsened. it isnt painfull just annoying. im still having problems with cartillage pain mainly on the inside of the knee. freinds who had surgery had much better results much quicker. i feel the surgeon has no time to listen to problems and just sais its normal.
i found a link to a american medical site talking of problems when the ligament is placed too vertically causing knee problems even though the graft is a success, they reposition a new graft. i dont think id like to go through all this again.

Aug 04, 2009
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Knee Cracking, Second Surgery Due to Too Vertical Graft
by: Channing

I had knee surgery on my left knee 2 years ago. I tore my ACL, MCL, Lateral and Medial Miniscus. A year and a half later my knee kept sliding out of place and popping really loudly. At 19 years old, I had to get another surgery on my knee because my surgeon had placed my ACL graft from my own hamstring too vertically.
Now I am in recovery from my 2nd surgery from a different doctor to remedy my last doctor's mistakes. They took a kadaver hamstring graft and made a "bundle" to support this "too vertical" ACL placement. Make sure you have a highly recommended doctor so you don't have to get two surgeries!!!
Now 2 weeks out of my surgery, I'm experiencing small (not too painful) popping noises when I walk occasionally, maybe 10-15 times a day. Anyone know what this is from?

Aug 07, 2009
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knee popping
by: Anonymous

I had my ACL reconstructed 5 months ago and every time i extend my leg my knee pops. There is no pain and no swelling. What could this be from?

Aug 10, 2009
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THE POPPING
by: Syd

The popping is most likely caused by the patella ( or knee cap) snapping back into place. Your quadriceps arent as strong so they cant hold your knee in place as well as they use to so it slides inward or outwards when you straighten your leg out then when you bend it back the tendon pulls on the patella and pulls it back into place and makes a loud popping noise...slightly painful but bearable. I know, i had surgery about 10 months ago and had the same thing happen to me. my sister had a problem like this with her knew...her knee would ALWAYS come out of place. it was a real problem for her cause it would take a while for it to pop back into place, and it was reallllly painful. To fix this just work you quad muscle back up and make it real strong.

Aug 10, 2009
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Knee popping 3 years after surgery
by: Anonymous

I coming up on 3 years after ACL & Miniscus tear surgery and my knee was feeling great. I did like the doc told me, "use it or lose it". So, I joined the gym and started a workout program that included the tread mill. I run about 5 miles a week...nothing spectacular. Just recently, I have started noticing not so much an audible click, but an internal click...more like what a click feels like as opposed to what it sounds like. There's really no pain to speak of, just that the knee area becomes sore as if overworked. I know it's not really important but I'm 53. I was hoping to hear back from folks my age about life after knee surgery. I am scheduled to meet with my surgeon next week and discuss it with him. Afterwards, I post his comments.

Aug 15, 2009
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two surgies and still in pain
by: Anonymous

i had my acl and mcl repaired about 5 yrs ago and i was still having pain in my leg so they did a xray to see if artho had set in so they decided to go in to wash some of it out 3 mths ago and they found more ligaments torn and had to get screws replaced here lately i have so much pain on the right side of my leg its keeping my from sleep whats missing? 2 surgies same knee still in pain

Aug 17, 2009
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hi
by: rachael

I had knee surgery months ago and at first popping is normal don't flip out :]

Sep 11, 2009
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why my knee still gives way after acl surgery?Did i snap it again? what should i do?
by: noppadol

i had acl surgery 9 months ago. It give ways everytime i skateboard. I just wondering that the surgery went successful or not??? it recently gave way real bad yesterday skating.it's painful.

Sep 21, 2009
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acl clicking
by: Anonymous

hi had acl and mcl surgery 5 months ago and my knee is still swollen and recently ive noticed its starting to click really bad everytime i bend my leg has anybody suffered from this before?

Sep 23, 2009
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Dont Panic
by: Will

About a year ago I was in a very bad motorcycle accident just before my 22nd birthday. I tore my ACL,PCL, and LCL, and tore my meniscus(Sorry for the spelling)....plus i dislocated my hip and broke that too, atleast I wore a helmet.

Anyways.....my PT and doctor both said the same thing. Popping is perfectly normal. Make sure to do every thing on your take home workout plan. Dont skip any days.....work it every day. Make sure to get plenty of rest, stay hydrated and take a joint care supplement

Sep 26, 2009
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Knot it he back of the knee
by: Anonymous

I had surgery 11 months ago on my acl. i had a cadvre graff put in. I have gotten my leg back to full strenght, i even skied a few days last season towards the end. when i work it a lot i start to feel this weird knot in the back of the knee towards the inner side. this knot feels like a knuckle on the back of my leg, thats how bid it is and how hard it is. Sometimes it will pop up after i do the quad stretch where you pull your leg up with your hand to stretch the quad. it can be a little painful at times. my knee also seems to swell up after big workouts or bike rides. is anyone else having this same problem?

Oct 14, 2009
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Scared:(
by: Bam

I had ACL surgery about 5 months ago in April. About three months later I fell and kind if inflamed it again. Before I did that I had almost all my strength and extension and flexion back. After, it felt like I was knocked back a couple months. A couple months ago it began to get stronger but still is not back to normal. I can get my knee fully extended but everytime I bend it and come back up it pops inside the joint. My PT put her hands on my knee and she said that it felt like it was coming from inside the knee joint. I'm afraid I injured it when I fell and didn't know. Has this happened to anyone else?

Oct 19, 2009
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Two years after acl surgery
by: Brian

I had acl and mcl surgery two years ago and I am having extreme pain with grinding sounds coming from the repaired right knee. What is the best thing I can do to remedy the situation?

Nov 01, 2009
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knee gives way after 2 yrs of acl surgery
by: raimi

hi.its been 2 years since i did my acl surgery.but recently as i was playing soccer,my knee gave way and it went in back place which i always felt before my acl surgery.has anyone encountered this before ? im quite worried about it as my knee kinda hurts now everytime when i put some pressure on it.thanks.

Nov 04, 2009
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acl
by: Anonymous

i have had an acl replacement about 11months ago and after the operation it was fine, i was playing squash etc and everything was fine. i then recently flew to austraila from uk which is along flight i now have a sharp burning pain on the front of my knee when i walk up stairs please help what is it!

Nov 07, 2009
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It's Okay!
by: Sarah

I tore my ACL playing rugby and had surgery almost 5 months ago. I went through a "popping" phase. It sounded grotesque and occasionally it felt as though my knee was shifting around a bit when I was walking and especially when doing P.T. However, as I continued to strengthen my quad the popping has mostly gone away.

Nov 16, 2009
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Knee noise
by: Anonymous

8 months out of ACL/medial meniscus surgery. Every time I bend my knee whether standing on it or not it sounds like crumpling tissue paper, and it clicks and pops througout the day, my PT says this is normal. However my pain is still bad to the point it hurt to do PT and kills after so I don't like doing it. I want robot legs.

Dec 03, 2009
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stay positive
by: Anonymous

Hello people
i had ACL reconstruction two years ago and to date still havent got it as strong as i would like it to be. I have the same problems as most of you lot do (popping in morning, popping when bent, giving way sometimes aswell). I had about 5 MRI scans after my reconstruction (not at the same time) and each time my consultant said it looked very good so im guessing the reason for all of this is because our legs are very weak. All i can say is DO your physio therapy maybe join the gym and stick to your programme and it should all be ok. Its very depresing especially if your a sporty person. Good luck to you all, my fellow torn acl friends :)

Dec 07, 2009
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After Knee Replacement Surgery
by: Mary

I had a double knee full replacement in July of 2009 and I still have to take pain pills and my knees & legs get very stiff and painful all the time. I try to stay active and I do housework and go up & down my steps, but it really hurts a lot. I don't want to depend on pain pills everyday and would like to know if anyone else is going, or has gone through this. My doctor says it takes 8 mos. to 1 ylr. b/f everything will heal. I am a female, small framed, so it isn't the weight doing this to my knees and legs. The big bones in both legs ache so bad, especially when I go to bed at night. Is there any exercises I could be doing to help this problem? I would appreicate hearing from others to give me ideas on what to do. Thannk You, Mary

Dec 09, 2009
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ACL
by: sabeer

Before 21 days i had ACL RECONSTRUCTION, but my knee is not pain but knee is not bending up to 45dgrs what can i do now it is normal problem or major problem?

Dec 09, 2009
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ACL
by: sabeer

Before 21 days i had ACL RECONSTRUCTION, but my knee is not pain but knee is not bending up to 45dgrs what can i do now it is normal problem or major problem?

Dec 27, 2009
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10 years after surgery and am having pain.
by: Sarah

I had the ACL reconstruction surgery with patellar tendon 10 years ago. Just recently I have been having soreness, and issues extending and bending that knee. The pain is I guess where you would call the "growth plate" on top and behind the knee as well. I'm only 28 and I feel like an old woman!!! Does anyone have any ideas on what may be happening and should I seek medical help?? It's painful (slightly) to walk, more so to kneel down and at times it seems to "lock-up" (slightly) when I have it straight or bent for a longer period of time. My email address is saraheholder@yahoo.com if anyone would give me some insight on this.
Thank you!!
Sarah

Jan 03, 2010
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popping
by: Jared

I had acl surgery with both meniscus being repaired 3 years ago. I did the rehab and had no problems at all. i play a lot of sports where i have to run and cut and jump. about two months ago i was lightly jogging and i heard a big crack. my knee didnt give out or anything and it wasnt painful. the next morning if was pretty tight and sore inside my knee and since then it pops and cracks a little on the inside when i flex my leg. i went to my surgeon and he tested my knee and took x rays and said my acl and graft was fine. he said sometimes when they take the graft(i had the pateller graft) since they take a piece of the bone too it can cause a slight noise.

after that news i played football on it and while i was running i could feel it lightly pop and crack with no pain or instability. next morning i was sore but i was sore all over so that is nothing unusual i think. i dont think its a big deal personally i think its scar tissue that came loose. i dont know if it will ever go away or if this scenerio has happened to anybody else but i figure its okay and its just what can happen after a surgery like that

Jan 07, 2010
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Clicking
by: Dave

Hello All, It's reassuring to read about all the knee clicking on here! I am 32 years old, previously very active (soccer, squash, skiing, running) and am 16 weeks post-op using hamstring graft. In the past few weeks I have developed an audible click each time I fully extend my leg. As with most of you, it's entirely painless and the knee still looks and feels nice and solid. I saw my PT yesterday - he did all the tests to ensure the graft was still in place, compared it with my good knee, and concluded that he could find nothing wrong. It's a little disconcerting but I hope it's just a case of the kneecap clicking into place and will disappear as the quads get stronger.

Good luck all - I share your pain and frustration!

Jan 30, 2010
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knee popping
by: Anonymous

I had meniscus reconstruction 2 months ago and as I started to run and do light lifts i noticed my knee cracking also. I asked my doctor and he simply told me that since my knee was swelled a little bit, it was the juice that was under the knee cap that got squished out when it was being bent.

Feb 16, 2010
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ACL torn again?
by: Anonymous

I had ACL reconstruction 21/2 months ago and my knee just recently started to come out of joint, and swell. I'm going for an MRI tomorrow to figure out tomorrow if its torn again. What do you think the chances are?

Feb 18, 2010
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Knee giving out 14 months later- too vertical
by: Anonymous

Wendy and Channing-
I had ACL meniscus surgery 14 months ago. I am a college soccer player, and in December, a year out from surgery my knee started giving out again. The popping that everyone is talking about happens all the time too, but I have become "immune" to it. I went to the ortho a week ago and was told that my graft is too vertical. My new surgeon has recommended a bundle be placed next to the current graft to make my knee more stable.
It is reassuring to know that I am not the only person experiencing this issue. However, this problem is highly frustrating and if I didn't love this game so much I can't say I would be going through it all again. But, I will be having surgery again in 2 weeks.
Good luck to everyone on here!