What happened to my knee?

June 5, 2007 10:58 AM

What happened to my knee? It felt like it was slightly dislocated, but it got better so quickly it doesn't fit with what I've read online about knee dislocations. And of course I want to know how to prevent it from happening again.

Some nights before reading stories with the kids, my wife or I will lie face down on our bed and let the kids climb on top of us so we can dump them off. It's easy and free, and the kids think it's a blast. So, the other night, I was sitting up from this position, so we could read stories on the bed, and something happened to my left knee.

I'm not sure precisely how it happened, but it's possible my left foot was under my right knee, and then I felt a sharp pain in my left knee, and suddenly I couldn't bend the knee at all either way (it was mostly flexed, and my hip was to the side, as though I were sitting cross-legged, at the time) without agony. After a few minutes of leaving it be, I gently used both hands to rotate my leg so my knee pointed up, then tried to flex and extend it again. With help from my hands, I was able to move it a little bit, when I suddenly got the feeling of something sliding (painfully, but briefly) back into place, and then everything was fine. My knee was a little sore afterwards, but I could walk and even kneel without a problem.

This hardly seems worth going to the doctor for (since it's OK now, what would they examine anyway?), but I'd really like to know what happened. Because of the sliding-back-into-place feeling, I Googled knee dislocation, but everything I saw indicated that this was always coupled with ligament damage, which I obviously don't have (else how could I walk painlessly?).

Any ideas?

posted by cerebus19 to health (7 comments total)

Sounds like your patella (kneecap) glitched in its tracking. Mine does that sometimes. I did tear the patella tendon about 15 years ago. Had to have a lot of PT because my kneecap wouldn't track properly. The proper track is sliding up and down. Any sideways movement can cause instability and sometimes pain.
posted by JujuB at 11:15 AM on June 5, 2007

Your patella slipped out a little bit, but didn't fully dislocate. You can tell the difference, because you'd be weeping in pain if it had completely dislocated. (I have never experienced so much pain...every time it happens.) Exercises done in physio helped me a lot with the problem - worth looking into if it happens again.
posted by meerkatty at 11:39 AM on June 5, 2007

Something similar happens to me occasionally when I get up from sitting cross-legged on a soft surface. I have always assumed it is just a very minor dislocation of the knee because it only happens when all the tendons are slack and there is some lateral pressure on the shins and the pain is focused on the back of the knee. It also seems to correct itself if I wait and very slowly extend my leg at the knee, which is what would happen if the joint was slightly misaligned.
posted by 517 at 11:52 AM on June 5, 2007

I have (what sounds like) the same thing happen, and have heard that it can cause/be caused by problems with the meniscus. Mine tends to slide out during jiu-jitsu practice, and as you point out, putting it back isn't much fun. But I haven't had any long term problems from this, yet.
posted by HighTechUnderpants at 1:40 PM on June 5, 2007

As a veteran of many dislocations and two surgeries all before the age of 25, I just want to suggest you find a doctor or physical therapist to get you on an exercise routine to keep your knee muscles strong. Some people are more susceptible to tricky knees and it sounds like you're right in there, and trust me, you want to do everything you can to avoid a full blown dislocation.

I'd also recommend knee braces that cover the patella for any sort of athletic activity.
posted by look busy at 2:21 PM on June 5, 2007

That's what it felt like when I tore my lateral meniscus.

I ended up needing arthroscopy.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 5:45 PM on June 5, 2007

I'd definitely see an good orthopedist when you have the time. Funky knees almost always have an underlying cause. Your feet may have low or high arches, or you may have a muscle imbalance or some other physical quirk.

If you catch it early, before your knee problem becomes a knee injury, you may be talking about $30, over the counter shoe inserts or five or six simple exercises you can do at home rather than surgery or intensive physical therapy.

Learn from my mistakes. Don't tough it out.
posted by freshwater_pr0n at 7:02 PM on June 5, 2007