I think I strained my ACL.  What should I do to heal it?
820106
If you think you strained your ACL then you need to see your physician immediately and will likely be referred to an orthopedist for specific testing for the integrity of the ligament.  Then you will likely be referred to physical therapy so that you knee can be adequately strengthened and stabilized to compensate for the strain as it heals.  And no, you will not be healed by next week if you truly sprained your ACL and, in fact, will be exposing yourself to further potential injury by playing next week.
1079365
I would follow the coaches' orders and take it easy. If you are playing on it and as you said "competitively" then of course it's still swollen. You need to lay off it untill it heals. This can compound a minor injury into something worse.
883989
You may have stretched your cruciate ligament. Keep the weight off it for a few days, periodically cool it with frozen peas to keep any swelling down, and if it doesn't get better in 3 or 4 days, go and get medical advice. Knees are stupid things - once you damage them properly they never, ever completely recover.
430109
You could try using an NSAID, (Non-Steriodal Anti Inflammatory Drug), such as aspirin, or iBuprofen, the latter may possibly offer relief either as either oral or topical preperation. Also, try alternating gentle warmin and cooling packs to it. Reducing exercise is a helpful suggestion, however, you shouldn't immobilise completely, gentle exercise, i.e. gently bending and straightening, should be made at regular invervals. Unfortunately pain relief tablets are probably the best option to ease it though.  \nI've always found that soft tissue injuries are the most painful injuries, I hope you resolve your pain. \n\nI do recommend discussing it with your pharmacist before you take any medication, of any kind, as people can be allergic to NSAIDs, and they can inteact seriously with other existing medication you may be on. \nIf it doesn't settle soon, I would suggest visiting a minor injuries unit or your family doctor.
925842
I'm an ice hockey goaltender and have sprained my MCL pretty badly before. At its worst, it took several weeks to heal completely, probably about 6 weeks total. I'm sure the length varies depending on how badly you injured it, but can still ice the knee to keep the swelling down. \n\nThe real problem is that you still have to use it so much during the day. If you could just rest and rehab it, it might heal faster, but unless you're unemployed (which I don't think you are), you won't get to do that. Try icing it down for about 10 minutes at a time when you are resting in the evening. Don't overdo the stretching, either. In a few more weeks, you should be pain free.
661122
Sounds to me like you jarred the knee.\nIt can happen from an impact like jumping in BB. If you are lucky its only a jarred knee which will take a few days to sort itself out. It could be ligament damage but thats unlikely as you would be in severe pain constantly and would know straight away. Try getting a crep (sorry i dont know the spelling, but basically its a tight elastic material) bandage and leave it on it for support when your are moving around.\nOther then that, ice it for a while to make sre there is no internal bleeding, then apply a heat pack to it every half an hour for 10 mins and see if that sorts it out.\nYou should go to see a sports doctor or a physio either way, an ordinary GP will just refer you to a specialist if he does not solve it.
916820
Its the ACL or MCL I could tell. Its just a matter of if its a sprain tear or rupture. My bet is on small tear.\n\nEdit: They're now saying it might be a sprained knee
330625
Take a Dixie cup or some other small paper cup and put water in there and freeze it.  After you get back from the run, grab the ice and tear of the paper a little ways to uncover the ice.  Then use it to massage your ankles and shins.  This really helps stop the swelling and inflamation and thus the pain.  Popping a few Advil can also help get rid of the inflamation.  Try running on grass.  It's softer and absorbs more of the force.  Also go out to a running store and have them help you pick out shoes.  I remember walking into one once and they had me take off my shoes and walk in front of them.  They came back with a pair of shoes the fit my high arches perfectly and gave me the right amount of support.  It was pretty amazing and it did help my shin splints get better.  If you find that the right shoes, grass running, and ice massages don't help, you may actually have stress fractures.  Give it a few weeks to see if the pain goes away.  If you still have it, and it hurts to even walk, go into your doctor for an xray.  Before I got really good shoes I had shin splints so bad that I was actually getting really close to tearing through my tendions.  At least that's what my doctor said.  Hope that helps!  Oh, and one last thing, never ignore the pain.  It means that your body needs to recover and heal.  I used to just "walk off" most of my injuries, including pulled muscles in my back.  I ended up doing a lot of damage to my body and I can't run anymore.  I'm only 23 and was a competative sprinter for 6 years.  I cant even take a lesurly jog anymore.  Not to feak you out, but take care of yourself!
449168
OK I have a BIG history on my knee following a completely torn ACL (that is the ligament that holds the knee together).  I have had 5 knee ops and I don't know how many physio sessions as well as I guess about 1 year using crutches (over a 9 year period).\n\nAs a few people have said go and get referred to a knee specialist (if you are British go to your GP and get him to refer you - if you have Health Insurance ....use it!).\n\nIt is really difficult to judge what you have done from your description - I did hyper extend my during one of my recovery periods following an op and physio resolved the problem.  However what you will probably end up getting is an MRI scan which should show up any damage that you may have done to yourself.  If they cannot see anything they may well send you for physio and see how it goes.  If the problem is shown on the scan then they will almost certainly carry out an arthroscopy on you which uses fibre optics to look inside your knee and see what is going on.  They can solve the problem this way and the operation is simple and recovery is quite quick.\n\nAnyway the basic answer is GO TO YOUR DOCTOR and see from there!!\n\nIf you want check the website below - it is full of sad people with really really bad knee issues - you can get a lot of advice from here!
430973
To prevent a calf strain it is first important to figure out why it happened.  The likely occurence is that you are bouncing on each leg. To put it another way, you are shifting your weight too much onto one foot and then springing off of it when you change direction. To correct this, try keeping you center of gravity between both feet and directly under you. Bend your legs and stay low as you move but try not to put any added strain on the muscle for at least a week or two.  Now to heal and help prevent this injury from happening-- try to do some light jogging before you play. You can also stretch each calf by standing about 1 foot from a fence in a "stride" position. One foot should be about 18 inches ahead of the other just like you took a normal step forward. Now this part is important: make sure each foot is "flat" on the ground, then lean into the fence with your arms just barely out in front of you. You will feel the pull, stretch, of your back legs' calf. Then switch stride positions for the other leg. You do this a few times and the leg soreness should go away in a couple weeks. In the meantime you can always do RICE, thats Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.  This will help keep any swelling down, you can also add heat to the area intermitenly to increase blood flow to that muscle which will result in faster healing.  If you have a very severe case you should consult a physical therapist.  There are chemicals out there that athletes use to recover from severe muscle strains, but that is best left to the attending physcian.
737304
I would start a physical therapy regimen.  However you may need to see an orthopedist to make sure you aren't injuried seriously.  you could have tendinitis or arthiritis if you have been playing for a long time.  If your tendons and bones are okay however you should be doing excersies in the gym to strengthen the area and working the area in question.  Make sure you are stretching before your activity and icing after you play.  I would buy ankle wraps so that you don't have to tape them up everytime.  Look into sports therapy and sports medicine websites, there you can get a list of excersises that will help your cause.  \n\nGood Luck!
195174
ice 20 mins if its swollen, heat 20 mins for pain.  if your knee is giving out you should have an MRI to make sure nothing is torn.\n\nyes, you will get crutches if you go to the er. even if nothing is wrong. and a full leg brace with velcro straps.
244512
If you sprained it and did not acutally break anything, it could take LONGER to heal than if you had a fracture. STAY off of it for at least two weeks if at all possible, and when you're sitting, keep it ABOVE YOUR HEART, not just up off the floor. This will help with the swelling and pain.\nAspirin, Ibuprofin, Motrin or Aleve are also good for swelling and inflamation, and you can take Tylenol in between doses to help more with pain. If it is a sprain, it could take MONTHS to heal right, or YEARS if you don't treat it right. Sorry. That's the best I can do sweety. Feel better soon!
1184401
First of all, don't exercise through pain. It is better to give yourself a rest for a while. But if the pain becomes stronger, contact your doctor immediately! It can be too serious if you don't!
496455
If it is swollen, it might be a sprain. If it is swollen and purple, it may be torn ligaments. If it is just sore, it may just be a sprain or a pull. If you are able to walk, I'd just be careful with it until it heals. If it's very painful or there's a lot of swelling, have the doctor check it out.
1072953
lol u hurted yourself\nit will heal but u may need to apply some sports cream or aching muscle cream/gel that you will be able to get from your chemist/drug store
73504
RICE -- Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Really, the only way to heal a sprain (which is a stretch or a tear of a ligament), or a strain (which is a pulled muscle) is to rest. Continuing to exercise will only irritate the affected area more, and lengthen the healing time. \n\nSprains can be very serious injuries, resulting in a complete tear of the ligament. If you continue to have trouble walking or moving the joint, or the swelling has not gone down, see a doctor. \n\nYou can also take over the counter anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs - Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) to help reduce swelling and control pain. Common ones include ibuprofen and Aleve. \n\nYou can help to avoid sprains and strains by stretching thoroughly before and after exercise, and being aware of your body and its limitations.