LCL injury

[mattemate]

It popped twice in training last night. It wasn't super loud and I would say the pain was a level two or three at the time. Two pops really quickly in succession, maybe about the same sound as a knuckle cracking.

Big guy had me in kesa gatame, and I swung my far leg over to get one hook in then brought the other leg throught the middle, and and was holding him sort of like in a twister position. I switched back and forth a few times from ankles crossed to figure four, trying to stretch him out and put some pressure on his lower back so I could end up getting behind him.

I don't remember the exact position my leg was in but I had some tension in it and he kind of pinched his knees and twisted his hips a little bit and it put a lot of pressure on the inside of my knee quickly and the outside just went pop pop. He heard it and let go immediately and I was able to move everything still without it hurting too bad.

Anyway it still feels stable but sore as hell. Who's had to deal with something like this and what was your recovery time?

I'm planning to still show up for training just to know what's going on, and to do range of motion stuff and what other workouts I can. I probably won't spar for at least two or three weeks, I might not even drill.

Before everybody says to go to the doctor and get an MRI, I work for myself and have no insurance. Thanks, Eisenhower!

 

[Krixes]

How bad is the swelling? That's gonna tell if it's a grade 1-3. A first degree sprain is damage to only a few ligament fibers. A second degree sprain is damage to a more extensive number of ligament fibers, but the ligament remains intact. A third degree sprain is a complete rupture of the ligament. Your going to what to apply ice and keep it elevated basically follow this.... The PRICE protocol should be followed - Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (never apply ice directly to the skin). The knee should be rested in an elevated position and Cohesive Bandage (which sticks to itself) should be used as a compression bandage to help prevent excessive swelling. A Knee Brace can be helpful to protect the knee and provide reassurance. Good luck man...If it's a grade 1 your only going to need about 3 weeks to heal, but that means no BJJ or anything...

BTW.. Don't be rolling without insurance, you could end up in serious debt or filing bankruptcy if something bad happens. Medical bills can be Insane...

 

[mattemate]

It's sore and tender but no swelling really. Yeah I'm dumb to roll worth no insurance. Working for yourself is not easy but it's worth it.

 

[EGDM]

Minimal swelling is a good sign. Take a few days off and try some gentle (non-BJJ) movement. If you feel pain or instability, particularly during deep flexion, take more time and/or see a doctor. Even a minor sprain will probably take 3-4 weeks to heal completely.

The worst thing you can do is come back too fast and convert a minor injury into a serious one. Your ligament is compromised, so treat it well and don't be dumb.

 

[Krixes]

It's sore and tender but no swelling really. Yeah I'm dumb to roll worth no insurance. Working for yourself is not easy but it's worth it.

Your good then bro, you just have a mild sprain. Just rest, ice, elevate, etc.. Take it easy for a few weeks. I've popped mine pretty good before, and had it swell up pretty big. It took about a month for everything to feel normal again.

 

[karma2burn]

Your good then bro, you just have a mild sprain. Just rest, ice, elevate, etc.. Take it easy for a few weeks. I've popped mine pretty good before, and had it swell up pretty big. It took about a month for everything to feel normal again.

Yeah I sprained my LCL pretty good and it took about 6 weeks before I felt fully confident in returning to class. Doesn't bother me at all now.

 

[EGDM]

I've popped mine pretty good before, and had it swell up pretty big. It took about a month for everything to feel normal again.

That's actually really fast. I tore my MCL early this year. It was three months before I even thought about training again, and I still occasionally feel it 10 months later doing things as simple as rolling over in bed. (Yes, I saw an orthopedist.)

 

[Krixes]

Yeah I sprained my LCL pretty good and it took about 6 weeks before I felt fully confident in returning to class. Doesn't bother me at all now.

That's actually really fast. I tore my MCL early this year. It was three months before I even thought about training again, and I still occasionally feel it 10 months later doing things as simple as rolling over in bed. (Yes, I saw an orthopedist.)

Yeah, I was pretty lucky with that one. After about 4-5 weeks the swelling was completely gone and I was back to light jogging, riding my bike. I didn't step foot in a real gym for at least 2 months though. About a year later I completely tore up knee, ACL, MCL, and that set me back damn near 12 months. I've had my fair share of unlucky injuries over the years from BJJ, and rolling with guys from my last job.

 

[SummerStriker]

Hope you feel better. I’m not a doctor.

They say you can’t tell the difference between a small tear and a full tear without diagnostics. If it gets better, it wasn’t a full tear.

You have to rest the shit out of it because of how little blood that tissue gets.

 

[FatherSauce]

Just sprained my lcl right after Thanksgiving and I took about a two week break. I'm back but doing positional stuff so I can attempt to protect it. I saw a sports medicine guy since I wanted to hear more than don't do anything and rest for six weeks.

 

[mattemate]

Resting is not an option because I work for a living but def no rolling for a while

 

[mattemate]

Just sprained my lcl right after Thanksgiving and I took about a two week break. I'm back but doing positional stuff so I can attempt to protect it. I saw a sports medicine guy since I wanted to hear more than don't do anything and rest for six weeks.

Rehab exercise?

 

[Russky]

put some pressure on his lower back

Spinal crank, LCL sprain - you guys are tough!

 

[FatherSauce]

Rehab exercise?

Just some simple stuff. A laying down hamstring stretch and the basic standing quad stretch. He's also done some massage type therapy on it that helped immediately and helped gauge the severity of the injury.

Resting is not an option because I work for a living but def no rolling for a while

This is so true. My job requires a lot of walking and standing or climbing stairs so it was never really going to rest. I actually had a milder strain for several months leading up to this injury that I was ignoring because I could make do. I'm very glad I got it checked out because it's better now than it's been for a while.

 

[mattemate]

Just some simple stuff. A laying down hamstring stretch and the basic standing quad stretch. He's also done some massage type therapy on it that helped immediately and helped gauge the severity of the injury.

Just a couple days in and I'm feeling better about it. But still I'm kind of scared to do that quad stretch. I don't feel confident to reach all the way back and grab my foot right now. Which is funny because I did Karate growing up and was so flexible growing up. Which I'm not anymore but still at almost 40 and 6'4" l can damn near drop in a full split still.

The difference is now my knees feel scary. I never had any knee problems till a couple years ago but I feel like that's a can of worms that once opened doesn't close again.

 

[freakroor]

about 6 weeks until you're back around 100%, unless you injure it again before that

 

[waiguoren]

It popped twice in training last night. It wasn't super loud and I would say the pain was a level two or three at the time. Two pops really quickly in succession, maybe about the same sound as a knuckle cracking.

Big guy had me in kesa gatame, and I swung my far leg over to get one hook in then brought the other leg throught the middle, and and was holding him sort of like in a twister position. I switched back and forth a few times from ankles crossed to figure four, trying to stretch him out and put some pressure on his lower back so I could end up getting behind him.

I don't remember the exact position my leg was in but I had some tension in it and he kind of pinched his knees and twisted his hips a little bit and it put a lot of pressure on the inside of my knee quickly and the outside just went pop pop. He heard it and let go immediately and I was able to move everything still without it hurting too bad.

Anyway it still feels stable but sore as hell. Who's had to deal with something like this and what was your recovery time?

I'm planning to still show up for training just to know what's going on, and to do range of motion stuff and what other workouts I can. I probably won't spar for at least two or three weeks, I might not even drill.

Before everybody says to go to the doctor and get an MRI, I work for myself and have no insurance. Thanks, Eisenhower!

This has happened to me on both knees, most recently in my right. Training partner is a takedown noob and tried to low single me but instead just kind of crashed into my leg.

Both of us heard the pop and stopped and it hurt briefly. I was able to keep training immediately after it happened. The next day my right knee was extremely swollen and I couldn't bend my leg as a result. I tried to get back on the mats two weeks later but I was still feeling weakness and instability in the knee.

After taking 2.5 months off, my knee is probably stronger than before the injury. Very happy about that.