Knee Locking with history of ACL repair surgery 6 months ago

Dear Ask The Doctor: I have had an ACL operation nearly 6 months ago. I have done alot of physio and gym work. But occasionally when i turn in angles my knee locks. I can push it back in and im fine. Is there any advice or guidance you could give me. Thanks Mark

Dear Mark: Sometimes when an ACL injury occurs it associates with a menisci lesion, this might be your case, acute knee pain after an injury and related symptoms may be caused by damage to one or more of the soft tissue structures that stabilize and cushion the knee joint (ligaments, muscles, tendons, and menisci). Meniscal injuries are a common problem in sports and in young active individuals; they are the most frequent injury to the knee joint. The menisci are C -shaped fibrocartilaginous structures attached to the tibia and their main functions to enhance the contact between the two articular surfaces of the knee: femur and tibia ones. The thick outline of menisci allows for a firm attachment to the joint capsule. A reliable indicator of meniscal lesion is a click or snaps after the joint unlocks, it can be or not associated with pain. A sensation of giving way may occur when the loose fragment becomes lodged for a moment in the knee joint, causing a sense of buckling. This finding should be distinguished from the sensation of giving way due to joint instability (e.g., ACL tear) or buckling secondary to decreased activity of the quadriceps femoris muscle. Spontaneous healing is common because of the rich blood supply in the meniscal periphery. Successful recovery from a meniscal tear is helped by a gradual resolution of symptoms over 6 weeks with a return to normal activity by 3 months.