Do I have a torn MCL?

Hi there,



In June, I did some damage to my left knee whilst playing football. I put too much weight on one knee and it bent inwards. I felt my knee pop out of place and then back in again. After this happened, I had a lot of pain on the inside of my knee, but I was still able to limp along. There was not much swelling either.



The next day, I went to my local treatment centre and they told me that it looked to be just a sprain. I was convinced it was more than just a sprain but I felt that they were the professionals and that I should just go along with what they had said.



It took me a good few weeks before I was able to walk normally again, and a couple of months before the aching went away.



I play hockey for a local club, so I wanted to make sure my knee was OK before the season started again in September. I started going for runs a few weeks before, to try and strengthen up my knee. All seemed to be OK when the season started again, and I was able to play my games.



On Tuesday however, I was practising to hit the ball on the turn. I got turn completely wrong, and like before, my weight was on one side of my leg, my knee bent inwards and I felt my knee pop out again. This time though, it seemed to be a lot worse. Swelling had appeared within 5 minutes and I wasn't able to put any weight on it at all. The pain was once again on the inside of my knee. Two days later, I went to A%26amp;E. The nurse did an examination of my knee, gave me a leg brace and refered me to a physio. However, he did not send me to have any scans done and only said that "it seems to be a soft tissue injury".



Today, the swelling is still there. There is still some pain on the inside of my knee. I have also noticed a sharp pain in the centre of my knee just below the knee cap when I try to full straighten out my leg. I can put a little bit of weight on my leg now but it feels as though it's about to give way or lock if I try to walk on it. Range of movement is also poor.



I need to phone up the Physio tomorrow to make an appointment, but I just wondered what you guys think the problem is. My thoughts were an MCL tear, but I didn't know if it was something else with me having pain in the center of my knee. These are the symptoms of an MCL grade III tear,



* This is a complete tear of the ligament.

* Pain can vary and is sometimes not as bad as that of a grade 2 sprain.

* When stressing the knee there is significant joint laxity.

* The athlete may complain of having a very wobbly or unstable knee.



They all seem to fit the bill, but I know that self-diagnosis is not a good idea.



Also, if this looks to be an MCL tear, do you know how long it will be before I can walk properly again?



Thanks a lot for your help.Do I have a torn MCL?
It sounds like ACL tear as well MCL.