I train BJJ about 3-4 times a week.
Recently my knee has been bothering me. It doesn't hurt during class but it hurts during everyday life. I'm actually limping around.
There's a pain on the inside face of my knee when I take a step or when I try to touch my toes with straightened legs. There was never any moment of injury like a leglock or a popping noise or anything.
I think it might be just overuse and my plan is to lay off the BJJ for a while (hopefully just a week or two).
I would appreciate any diagnoses or suggestions.
its your meniscus go to the dr already.
Could be meniscus, although you would have probably remembered a sudden movement or activity that caused a sharp pain in the knee, and maybe a loud pop or click too.
Sounds more like a medial collateral ligament sprain. Are you knock-kneed, or do you tend to over-pronate (tend to stand more on the inside edge of )your feet?
Overpronation is fairly common, and can lead to meniscal injury or ligament strains. It can't be cured, but the symptoms can be alleviated. Often caused by muscular weakness in the tibialis POSTERIOR; that can be addressed by strength training. Working trigger points in tib pos and other muscles can address neuromuscular dysfunction in the leg or foot. Lengthening the evertors(peroneals,etc) can help,too. Stretching gastroc and soleus wouldn't hurt,either. It's important to biomechanically correct overpronation, and it might take orthotics, neuromuscular re-education, or gait retraining methods.
Knock knees (genu valgum) is a little more problematic. It involves retraining the neuromuscualr patterns that created the problem. Massage probably would have little effect, unless it's used in conjunction with postural approaches. The client has to do his or her homework, paying attention to posture and movement patterns. If it's really advanced, surgery is sometimes the solution.
The medial collateral ligament has a fibrous attachment to the medial meniscus. Tensile stress injuries to the MCL can cause tearing of the outer edge of the meniscus. If the ligament damage is not severe(which is what is sounds like in your case), a massage therapist would focus on getting healthy scar tissue to lay down in the ligament. The important thing is to prevent scar tissue from adhering the ligament to the underlying bone. A good technique is deep transverse friction massage applied directly to the injured ligament. Just know that it's not going to be the most pleasant sensation you've ever felt:) Addressing the muscular hypertonicity around the knee joint is key, too.
Go see a physician to make sure massage is complementary to any other rehab you choose.
hey thanks littlebit.
do you have any suggestions on how to find a good massage therapists who would be familiar with the kind of stuff you wrote about?
i'm in atlanta, ga
your ideas are very interesting. what is your background/discipline?
I have the same sharp pain down the front of my knee cap. Hurts the most when I go up and down stairs or try running or ropeing.