I have had three knee surgeries on the same knee. The first one was from soccer. The other two were likely caused by jiu-jitsu. In all three cases, the meniscus—the cartilage that cushions the knee joint—tore and folded back over itself, locking my joint in place in what is called a “bucket handle tear.” Every single one of these injuries was preceded by a series of small pops at various times in the months or years prior to the injury. My knee would swell, but after a few weeks the swelling would subside and I could return to training.
What I didn’t know was that each pop was actually elongating the tear slightly, making it progressively worse. That pop could also have been a tendon or ligament sprain or tear, but in my case it was all meniscus. Now there is very little cartilage left in my knee.
Do not be like me. Take care of your knees. If you suspect an injury, get it checked out.
I have had three knee surgeries on the same knee. The first one was from soccer. The other two were likely caused by jiu-jitsu. In all three cases, the meniscus—the cartilage that cushions the knee joint—tore and folded back over itself, locking my joint in place in what is called a “bucket handle tear.” Every single one of these injuries was preceded by a series of small pops at various times in the months or years prior to the injury. My knee would swell, but after a few weeks the swelling would subside and I could return to training.
What I didn’t know was that each pop was actually elongating the tear slightly, making it progressively worse. That pop could also have been a tendon or ligament sprain or tear, but in my case it was all meniscus. Now there is very little cartilage left in my knee.
Do not be like me. Take care of your knees. If you suspect an injury, get it checked out.
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