Post meniscus repair crossing legs problem

Hi there

I tore my meniscus on the outside of my right knee about a year and a half ago, I had the repair operation on the 5th December 2008.

The doctor said the op went well and there was nothing else wrong with my knee. So late february, As I was now walking and felt really good with my knee, I decided to try to put my leg crossed as I hadn't done it/tried it in a long time (before the op was the last time i did). As I was easing into the crossed leg position, i felt as If the internal structure of my knee kind of moved and it felt as if it had locked. Instinctively, I immediately straightened my leg and it felt like my knee jolted back into position/unlocked. It felt a little tender on the outside of my knee after that but after an hour or so the tenderness was gone.

So now, it being mid april, I was up early in the morning and my knee feels as if its back to normal really, obviously not exactly the same but it felt excellent, and because of having a much higher range of motion I decided to try sitting cross legged again to ensure that my knee was fully healed, as I went into the position my knee did the exact same thing as before and after sleeping, the tenderness was gone again.

The pain felt is more of a really awkward feeling and just feels as if the knee has shafted on the inside and when it is straightened it feels as if it "Shafts" back.

This is really awkward for me as I teach brazilian Jiu Jitsu which is a form of grappling and I can imagine being in situations where it resembles that of sitting cross legged.

One other note is that the first time it happened, my knee wasn't bent that much and was just easing into the position where as the second time (yesterday) it was a much deeper cross leg although not a full one.

I would greatly appreciate it if someone could give me advice, information, what they may think it is so i can understand what is going on as my martial art is more than just a pastime for me.

Thanks a lot

Daniel

If a large piece of meniscus was trimmed/removed from you knee then there will be more 'play' in the knee as a result. This will be most obvious in flexion/rotation such as in crossing the leg. This is normal. Depending on your original injury you might have stretched slightly other ligament structures about the knee. This will add to the slight laxity in the same movement.

Your body will need to learn to move into and out of the extended positions of the knee over time. As you have only done this a few times there's a way to go. Your symptoms are normal so don't concern yourself to much. The movement should become more normal over time. :o

Wow, thanks a lot for the advice!, I truly appreciate it. I really thought my future martial arts was in jeopardy.

What exercises or movements can i do along the way to help this process of my body getting used to it?

Thanks again for the advice you have already given!