Knee advice

[Kurzy]

OK Guys, this is preemptive.

I have always been flexible, beyond the norm. When I was training full time in TKD, I was one of those guys that could do the splits between chairs and sink lower, all three ways. So I never thought I would have issues with Jits.

I am working the rubber guard hard. I mean, being that I only started jits a year and 4 months ago, it is my GO TO game. I work mission control every time I am on my back.

I can feel my knee is starting to loosen up in a bad way. Anytime I curl my left leg I can feel that the joint is a little loose, and it's a little painful. Nto when I am rolling though, I am talking about when I am walking, or for example if there was a piece of paper on the ground and I grabbed it with my toes and pulled it towards me.

I am wanting to stop any more damage from happening BEFORE it's too late and before I need a fucking brace or surgery.
Now lets get specific:
Looking at this pic:



When I am working RG I feel strain in my LCL. When I stretch before rolling I do some butterfly stretches and some others that are specific to rubberguard, and I feel that same strain in the LCL.

Day to day though, when I am walking around, I am felling my knee joint loosening up and I feel like the ACL and the PCL are starting to wear or stretch.

Please guys. I fucking LOVE my knees. I wakeboard like a champ, flipping over the water like 8 feet high, and come down hard on the knees, and I haven't even gone out this year riding because of the way my knee feels, and I don't want to fuck it and not be able to do jits.

I love Jiu Jitsu so much that I am willing to walk away from wakeboarding forever if I have to , but I gotta save this knee joint. I know a lot of you will have advise on this, so please don't hold back.
Thank you.

[Tom Carbone]

Hard to say what the problem is without seeing a video of how you play RG. If its being done right, it shouldn't be causing you pain, especially since you say you're flexible to begin with.

[Jonrivello]

your ankle in your mission control should never be closer to your head then your knee is if you get what im saying should keep everything in line, only problem i've had with my knee in rubber was when this good wrestler just sprawled on my carni attempt, good thing it was just a quick pain and no damaga done.

[ScottRay]

When stretching (or playing RG), flex your toes and foot upward, poking your heel out, as used in butterflies or a triangle. This will allow your muscles to aid your ligaments in supporting your knee.

[Aaron Gustaveson]

Sorry to hear this man. Of course if you can afford it a doctor would be a good thing. A standard valgus stress test could tell a lot about you knee.

Since i hurt my own knee recently Ive been educating myself on the knee. You can see the acl,pcl and mcl dont attach to muscles (just connect bone to bone) Since there are no muscles that directly use the ligament the thinking seems to be that in order to protect them you basically have to work all the muscle groups of the knee to build support. Light exercises with elastic bands, quad contractions, stationary bikes and body weight squats are often recommended.

Do you have any popping, bubbles or sand in the joint feelings or just a sense of looseness?

You can see the LCL limits the distance that the head of the femur and the fibula can move apart. If your pulling down on your lower leg in mission control then your def stretching it. (especially if your toes are pointed in the direction of your head instead of up to the sky) If you have lengthened the stabilizing ligaments then the joint is going to feel loose, you'll be prone to injury and your meniscus could start to suffer. Not pretending to be a rubber guard master (in fact i suck at it) But I try to pull my leg to my body using my hip muscles and avoid pulling down with your wrist on the ankle (just keep it together)

I got a a purple in TKD (4th kup equivalent where i went) but i gotta say hip flexibility is a different thing.

I hate to say it but IMO you should rest that knee and baby the shit out of it. You can always play weak side rubber guard. Personally i would get high as giraffe pussy and just spend some time thinking about and feeling the knee.

[Aaron Gustaveson]

Almost forgot,

Attachment 2206

[Gray]

I would rest your knee for awhile. Start forcing to half and work your lockdown, or go to butterfly and develop an X. Give it a couple months, then revisit.

I would also add in strength training.

[Kurzy]

Thanks for that Aaron.
Thanks to everyone who is contributing.

Yeah I just got home from the gym and there is definitely some looseness in that joint now. When I did hamstring curls I had to go light light light. Like 50 pounds for two sets of 20, then 95lbs for a set of 10.

I had always had a click but now it seems to click more and more often. I am going to really focus on my knee angle with the RG game though. I think I have been pulling the foot up higher then the knee, like what Rivello was talking about.

[Jonrivello]

definately can't pull the foot ahead of the knee, i doubt you'll have trouble after you fix that.

[DanConway]

Proper rehab and most importantly KNEE AND BODY PREHAB exercises that everyone in the fam should be doing, but doesn't should have no trouble lifting this burden from you mind.. I sent you a pm with some content that should be of much value. ;]