What is an ACL tear? What does it feel like?

What is an ACL tear? What does it feel like?

An ACL tear is damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), located at the center of your knee. The tear may be partial (the ligament is torn a little) or total (the ligament is torn into two pieces). It will hurt if you tear your ACL. Your knee may “give out” (collapse or buckle) and you may hear or feel a pop. Typically, your knee will immediately start to swell up.

“Ligament” is what the medicine world calls the tough bands of tissue that connect bones or hold organs in place. The word “anterior” means “towards the front of the body.” Cruciate means “cross-shaped,” and in medical terms it refers to the two ligaments in your knee that form the shape of a cross: the ACL in the front and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in the back.