Knee locking

Hi Hartley,

Skippette here again. Just went to my car to get the doctors report and this is what it stated.

Horizontal tears in posterior horn of the medical and lateral menisci. There is lateral patellar tilt with grade 3 chondromalacia petella most sere in the lateral patellofemoral compartment. Moderate hyaline cartilage loss is present in the medial and lateral joint compartments.

Suggested surgery or shot. Took shot next step is surgery.

I have a solution that works for me and I hope it works for others. 

Sit down, with the subject leg bent so your ankle is over your good leg, bend it as deep as you can, now take one hand and pull up on your ankle while your other hand pushes down on your subject knee. While continuing to apply this pressure slowly straighten the subject leg. No pop, no pain, all better. I stumbled on this technique in junior high 35 years ago and used it for several years. The problem went away for several decades and recently returned. Technique still works like a champ. Liberating and simple! 

Hi,I am now 15 and my knee locks when in a bent position and I am unable to move it. Fortunately for me, my mother has always been there when it happens and has to straighten it and once done it makes a 'pop' sound and unlocks. Afterwards it feels fine but while its locked I am in agony. This has happened for years, the first time it happened was when I was skipping with my friends and I was 8 years old at a party. While skipping I took a jump and in mid-air my knee locked and I fell to the ground in pain. No one knew why it happened or what was wrong with me. The second time it happened I was swimming and it locked and I sank. Then it didn't happen for years but turning 12 it started again. This condition has put me through a lot of pain and confusions. What is wrong with me ? 

I am 24 I have never had knee problems till I was in high school my knee had started locking I was 17 when it did I only had one bad case with my knee locking my school had to call my sister and mom and they had to carry me to my ride I was wheeled chaired into the ER and they just gave me a shot and next thing put me in a brace they did not pop my knee or even check it all they did was prescribed pain medication throughout the years my knee locked but not to server to have to go back but as for yesterday i was with my boyfriend and his cousins my ankle gave out along with my knee when I was falling I could tell my knee was about to locked to my surprise it locked and it usually goes away within a day I have took medicine kept it warm and tried to pop it all I get is little crackles and a sharp pain that runs all the way to my foot and hip my boyfriend even helps me work it out but yet we don't get no popping just me in server pain and tears does anyone know what I can do? And I understand the pain I went to the doctor in another town and got told it was server arthritis

OMG...I am nearly in tear as I read this. Have just found the post below about Popliteus muscle although through another site. Mine started locking - during the night while asleep about 18 month ago after a physio did some pretty heavy manipulation trying to sort out my knee where I have had 3 cartilage surgeries (2 30 years ago) and some arthritis on the effected side. I am a very active field hockey player, runner, cyclist and sometimes I go to crossfit off and on for a few months. I learnt on the internet that I can release it by sitting on a chair lifting my leg up and 45 degrees while knee bent taking both hands under my thigh 10cm below the knee. I actually put my fingers together so my hands are locked together under the knee then I pull the skin behind the knee down (pull hard) while I straighten the knee, all the time still with my leg pointing up at 45 degrees. Releases every time...I have even begun to be so good at it that I can release it while riding my bike (this is sometimes when it locks up). Once it started happening I made the connection that when I run (10km etc) it wont do it for 3 day.....so not knowing what it was I kept running every 2-3 days. Needles to say I have now won a few 10km races even though I was not even a runner prior to this need. Anyway...a 5 week holiday from running had me constantly locking...I was like an old lady(day and night) 20-30 times per day....aweful. That was 3 months ago. Now back in New zealand and back into running/training and locking less (2-3 times per week instead of several hundred) but have been very worried for a long time. Im on the waiting list for a MRI when I found the popliteous article and interestingly this is always the trigger point my chiro identifies as the problem but Ive never made the connection. Apparently you can massage this ? Anyone here any further developments ? Can anyone try my techinique for unlocking (pull knee of back of thigh towards bottom etc while straightening....Thanks in advance for your help. So pleased I found this. PS. I'm 43 year old small athletic female

Hello,

Same problems and same situation. The only thing that i found that really causes it. Is when i play sports and am dehydrated then it locks? But as long as i stay hydrated it never does. I am just wondering if anybody else has found this.

Hi.

I have had the same thing for about four years now. I have also went to the doctor to get a scan, they said there was nothing wrong with my knee and it was only my joints. The doctors told me to go to therapy for my knee. I have not went because I didn't think it would help. It started when I had just turned 11 I am now 15. I was crossing my legs on the couch and then I tried to straighten them. It locked up on me and I could not move it at all. At that time it felt like I had pulled something or broke it somehow... I called my mom but by the time she came out I had already straightened it. It has happened about 50-100 times for me now. I have been trying to search up what is wrong with it but I am just glad I am not only. Thanks for writing this.

Hi.

I have had the same thing for about four years now. I have also went to the doctor to get a scan, they said there was nothing wrong with my knee and it was only my joints. The doctors told me to go to therapy for my knee. I have not went because I didn't think it would help. It started when I had just turned 11 I am now 15. I was crossing my legs on the couch and then I tried to straighten them. It locked up on me and I could not move it at all. At that time it felt like I had pulled something or broke it somehow... I called my mom but by the time she came out I had already straightened it. It has happened about 50-100 times for me now. I have been trying to search up what is wrong with it but I am just glad I am not only. Thanks for writing this.

Hi,

I think I have been experiencing the same thing. My knee gets stuck in a flexed positions, and it feels like something is stuck on the lateral side at the back of my knee. It is agony and once I build up the courage I force myself to straighten my leg and something 'pops' and my knee goes back to normal.

This has happened to be about 7 times in total and I am 19 years old. It happened a lot when I was younger and I never mentioned it to anyone, once it went while I was asleep and I had to phone an ambulance as I couldnt straighten my leg out to 'unlock' it. After that I was seen my a Orthepedic doctor who said she thought I had torn menici carilage and after an MRI of my left knee, she stated this wasnt the case, and she thought my patella was subluxing. That was two years ago and I havent had problems again until a month ago when my knee locked while out for a drink at a bar, and last night it locked again. I had to call an ambulance and take gas and air until I could unlock it.

 

The paramedic felt my patella while my knee was locked and said it had moved, Therefore it cannot be a patella dislocation causing this. I am currently studying Podiatry at University and have emailed one of my professors to see if he has any idea as to what this could be. 

If I get any answers I will post on here. 

Well...here's an update to my previous post. I tore my miniscus behind the knee cap in a hockey game....swelling and pain and it gradually healed over 6 weeks....now its better than its been for 4-5 years. No more dsilocations/swelling and pain. No more going to bed with pillows under knee, watching that I dont wear tight clothers under my thigh nothing...Everything has miraculously healed. When I first started getting knee problems I did have minicus surgery 5 years ago but made little difference to swelling...although only had dislocations since physio did minipulations and grinding of kneecap 3 years ago. I think this miniscus behind the kneecap has been on the way out for 3-5 years and now its finally torn (grade 4 full depth according to MRI) it has healed naturally. Couldnt be happier

I've had this problem since I was a child and it has recently ended my footballing career after a severe locking in January which ended in A&E and has done permanent damage to my knee (previously it has always made a full recovery in a few days).

Did anyone find a solution to this problem? Seeing as so many of us have the same specific symptoms there must be a professional who can provide a diagnosis other than the standard meniscus response. I have had 3 MRI's with two well respected consultants and my meniscus is in perfect condition yet still this is the diagnosis I have received. The issue clearly needs more research.

My consultants are convinced it is meniscus and want to do arthroscopy, I know they are wrong as it is very much a short term dislocation/trap and release feeling with immediate relief rather than long term inflammation and friction issue. The pain is outside of my knee on the lateral side anyway not within it.

Two potential diagnosis I am going to discuss with them include:

Illiotibial band catching behind a prominent lateral epicondyle of femur in deep flexion which becomes trapped on extension epicondyle before snapping back

Lateral collateral ligament catching behind a prominent lateral epicondyle of femur when in deep flexion again becoming trapped on extension before snapping back

The sensation feels as is something is being stretched over a snag before snapping back into place may fit the above. I am therefore convinced this is a ligament/tendon/fascia issue given the elastic nature of the correction when it snaps/clunks back into place.

I will let you know once I have run these theories past my consultants and physiotherapist. We live in the 21st century there must be a solution.

Charles

 

Hi Hartley

My name is Tristan Langley and I'm 17 years old bout to turn 18 my right knee has been, what I call popping out, since I was about 14 that I can remember but it had never been a big deal to me.i typically just threw my leg forward and it would pop in but about two months ago my knee popped out and I work construction and just so happens I was on a roof and it happened when I was kneeling and I think I shifted to my right side, my immediate reaction was to sit down on my butt and try to support but it feels like the lower half of my leg is seriously trying to rip off the other like my bones and muscles aren't doing anything to support but after about ten minutes the guys I work we got it to straighten out then all of the pain went away and 100% normal after it went back I have a slight sore kind of pain but it doesn't hurt to put weight on it at all. That day my mom and dad and I went to have an X-ray done it showed nothing, the doctor even tryed pushing on it a whole bunch and nothing, no pain or anything, after that he laughed and asked me why I was even there which makes me mad because when it does go out the pain is insane, it'll actually make me light headed and feel like I'm going to pass out. The X-ray came back perfectly fine too. So I just went on about three days later it did it again while I was kneeling at the job this time I knew that if I can get it. Straight then itll go back in so after about four or five minutes of slowly letting it straighten out it just popped and almost more like a loud clunk and feels like it almost rolls when it goes back in. Once again just usual soreness then a week later we were finishing concrete and it popped out again so I straitened it back out and same clunking sound as before then later that day it happened again and after that I actually had to sit down for a bit because it was sore to walk on then about two weeks ago I had an MRI done came back all good and it's happened once again while I was in my room when I kneeled down I try to make sure I don't do this so it won't come out and each time it seems like it's not going in as easy as the last like I have to up and down with it a few times for it t, and now today I was kneeling on my left knee and it did on this knee but not too bad just like how my right knee did before I just threw it up and it went back in . What everyone is describing to on here is the exactly the same thing as my knee is doing by it is kinda worrying me that my other knee is Obvousily going to do it now too but glad I could relate with you guys.lol not really. But has anyone had both their knees do it? Or am I just that lucky??