Knee injury from BJJ rolling

Greg Davis · 12-02-2008, 06:06 AM

I know I should get in to see a doctor as soon as I get a chance but thought maybe someone who trains BJJ/grappling might have had a similar injury and could shed some light on a possible diagnosis.

Last Sunday I went to an open mat session and rolled really hard with a few guys. Lots of time spent trying to pass a guys guard from standing. Felt great, no problem. Started walking home and noticed my left knee felt a bit tender/sore. Didn't think much of it but it started to hurt quite a bit that night to the point where I was limping around the house (had company over so I couldn't just sit and ice it). No swelling what so ever but it hurt quite a bit to walk on.

Woke up next morning and it hurt like hell. Could barely bend it and had to stay in that whole day. Still no swelling at all though. Iced it and hoped for the best. It felt a bit better the next day but continues to keep me out of action. Weird thing is I can ride a bike and even swim but walking bending it with weight hurts a lot.

Tender spot is on the inside of the left knee, sore to the touch on a specific spot. It's driving me nuts not knowing what is wrong with it as I'm in the heat of exams and leaving for vacation to Australia in less than 2 weeks!

Any ideas what could be? As far as treatment I'm staying off it as much as possible, icing it at night, wearing a rehband sleeve during the day.. but I'm riding my bike (to get to school) and have gone swimming for a workout a few times (does not hurt doing this) but its not getting much better..

Garrett Smith · 12-02-2008, 06:12 AM

Sounds like the medial collateral ligament. You should get this checked out ASAP, find out what exactly it is. If it is a partial tear, I can help you find things to get better much more quickly--a full tear would require surgery.

Get thee to a sports med doc (or even a sports chiro at this point, the diagnostic test is pretty standard and straightforward).

Greg Davis · 12-02-2008, 06:34 AM

Thx Dr G I think that has to be it from reading a bit online. Thats exactly where the tenderness is.

I'm confident it is a "grade I" tear because (a) there was/is no swelling at all; (b) i can bend my knee and even squat pain free; (c) i didnt even realize it was injured at first when it must have happened so the trauma couldnt have been that severe.

But nonetheless I'm going to try to get in to see someone today to get confirmation. Injuries ugh! Xande Ribeiro (one of the best in the world) is teaching BJJ classes this week at my school..... totally sucks.

Greg Davis · 12-02-2008, 02:23 PM

Saw a PT in the afternoon.

In his opinion its a grade II MCL tear, but only affecting "part of the ligament" as opposed to the whole thing. No problems with ACL, PCL, meniscus.

He recommended no grappling for several weeks (no brainer) and to stay away from any lower body work that can potentially put side pressure on the knee. Stationary biking and straight leg raises (while lying) were recommended. Once it feels a bit better he also recommended squats against a wall with a ball or something between my legs to force them to squeeze inwards.

Seemed like a decent PT. Of course any further suggestions are welcome!

I've actually been biking to get around and will continue to as it doesn't seem to bother me much at all. Actually walking to take public transit (my alternative for getting around) aggravates it more than biking.

Garrett Smith · 12-02-2008, 02:47 PM

I forget, are you in Toronto?

Traumeel tabs, 1 tab sublingual 3x/day, plus topical gel/ointment applied 3x/day, did wonders for another patient of mine in a similar situation. It's easy to get ahold of. Be diligent in your application.

Big rule: if it hurts, don't do it. If you think it could hurt, it's probably better to avoid it for that period of time. Otherwise, movement isn't a bad thing.

Grissim Connery · 12-02-2008, 09:12 PM

you said you were trying to pass most of the night. was the guy playing de la riva guard much? i find that when i use it on people, they could torque their knee if they are stubborn

Greg Davis · 12-03-2008, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garrett Smith

I forget, are you in Toronto?

Yep right downtown, why?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garrett Smith

Traumeel tabs, 1 tab sublingual 3x/day, plus topical gel/ointment applied 3x/day, did wonders for another patient of mine in a similar situation. It's easy to get ahold of. Be diligent in your application.

Guessing I might be able to find this over the counter at a pharmacy?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garrett Smith

Big rule: if it hurts, don't do it. If you think it could hurt, it's probably better to avoid it for that period of time. Otherwise, movement isn't a bad thing.

Its tough 'cause I have soo much work to get done before I leave next week.. and walking of all things is not so good to me. Gonna have to use my bike like a wheelchair.

Greg Davis · 12-03-2008, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grissim Connery

you said you were trying to pass most of the night. was the guy playing de la riva guard much? i find that when i use it on people, they could torque their knee if they are stubborn

Yeah the second guy I rolled with played de la riva quite a bit and I spent too much time standing over him trying to pass his guard while he applied lateral pressure to my knees.. yikes gotta watch out for that cuz I like to squat over top guys and hold on till I can force a knee on belly while grabbing their collar.

Garrett Smith · 12-03-2008, 05:57 AM

The Meditech clinic is in Toronto, the folks who make the same lasers I treat patients with all day long. See www.meditech-bioflex.com for the location. This could potentially reduce your pain by ~50% in one treatment, I've seen it happen too many times to doubt it--especially in healthy/fit tissues.

Traumeel can likely be found at any "health"-oriented store that sells supplements, it is that popular.

Get some crutches if you need to, to get weight off the knee for a while.

Oh yeah, no nightshades.

Grissim Connery · 12-03-2008, 06:38 AM

when people play de la riva i generally try to get the negative pass more than anything. i'll play with other options and bait them pretty hard, but i only really committ to the negative.

i'll norm. bob my hips back and forth to loosen the hook. next i'll rotate my hooked leg outward to put tension on his hip (rotated out like a butterfly hook), next i'll threaten a knee drive/baseball pass (whatever you wanna call it) until he over committs to defending that pass. then i'll negative over.

you could knee bar as well, but i'm not a flashy guy. i like passing.