Clean & small pop

[Larry Cox]

BLUF:
felt a small pop on my left knee while doing a clean (to rack my weight for some thrusters). Loss of strength and some motion causes sharp pain. However, no swelling, no deformity, no change in color, I can walk fine.

Not sure what happened, I'm thinking mild ACL sprain. Did RICE and 800mg of Ibuprofen.

Anyone have any thoughts on what happened. . . next steps?

I've been injury free most of my life so I don't really have much experience with this sort of thing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.//Larry

[Frank E Morel]

its same thing when you crack your knuckles. if you can stand , walk , run, twist and bend. dont worry about it. loss of strength is that ongoing or just at that time?

[Larry Cox]

Well at first there was that sharp pain, which like a "charlie horse" gave me a shock/weakness.

I just trotted down my hallway and everything was fine (we'll see if I can cut or not).

I find that I have loose ligaments, I roll my ankles regularly on road marches, so maybe that is part of it.

I dunno. . .

[Larry Cox]

Well, I just did a slow and careful air squat so I think everything is fine.

After some thinking this is what I think happened.

I think the injury was due to improper training and working on one of those dastardly leg press machines. (a friend of mine at the gym invited me for a set on a leg press machine, I had a hard time saying no, and well all the while during the set I felt a lot of anterior pressure on my tibia and knee)

I didn't want to work on that machine and I should have said no. It just so happened that the pop occurred on another exercise.

Well, lesson learned.

[Mike Onghena]

I has similar symptoms in January when I tore my meniscus in a martial arts class. Was grappling and my knee made a noise and lost strength and hurt. No impact, leg was straight, I put weight on it and pop/rip.

I was able to walk within minutes, and could do careful air squats and stuff, but the wrong type of motion brought sharp pain. Maybe a little swelling, but not much. Was able to continue all activity a week or 2 later, but was very careful so I would do no more damage.

An MRI showed torn meniscus and partial ACL tear. I suspect that the ACL tear might have been pre-existing, but do not know for sure.

I had the meniscus fixed, ACL tightened in mid-May. Recovery/pain has been better than my most optimistic guess. I have just begin 'starting strength' this week, with 100lbs in squat. Not much, but it is 'real' weight, so I am happy. Still being careful. I may go back to martial arts when my squat hits 200 or so.

A much different experience than when my other ACL fully tore. That was severe pain (shock), crutches for days, then limping. When I finally got it fixed years later it took me over a year to fully recover.

My knees also have loose ligaments, and can hyperextend a bit at full extension. Putting weight or landing when hyperextended seems to be a bad thing.