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Crunching Noise When Leg Bent, Painless, Done Arthroscopy, Partial Lateral Menisectomy, Had Medial Meniscus Tear.

Posted on Fri, 1 Jun 2012

Question: Hi i'm a relatively fit 49 year old. 182cm tall and about 83kg weight. I'm normally quite active and play a lot of squash and also ski 3 times a year. 4 months ago i tore my lateral meniscus and also had a peripheral tear in my medial meniscus. To compound this i already have ruptured ACL's in both knees. But as you can see i haven't let this stop me from playing sport. After the recent cartilage injuries i had an arthoscopy and partial lateral menisectomy. The medial meniscus tear was deemed asymptomatic and had a good chance of healing. My leg feels good now after various quad and hamstring exercise. But i now get a catching/crunching noise every time i bend my leg beyond a certain angle. It isn't painful but i feel it's will cause be problems when i return to playing squash competively. Have you got any solutions? Patrick

Answered by Dr. Akhilesh Yadav (2 hours later)

Hello Mr XXXXXXX

Thanks for posting the query.

I have gone through your history and understand your concern.

I would like to know one more thing. On which side of knee joint you experience catching/crunching noise? Is it right knee or left knee?

The catching noise in your knee joint could be due to the piece of meniscus which may come loose and drift into the joint. This can cause your knee to slip, pop or lock.

If the joint is painless, there is nothing to worry about it currently.

I would suggest you to continue with quadriceps and hamstrings exercises.

Other measures which might help you:

1. Rest: Take a break from the activity that caused the injury.

2. Use cold packs for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day. Do not apply ice directly to the skin.

3. Wear an elastic compression bandage.

4. Elevation of leg in case if you have swelling, recline when you rest, and put your leg up higher than your heart.

5. Physiotherapy.

I would also suggest you to consult your Orthopedic surgeon to rule out the exact cause for it. You may need MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) of affected knee joint to confirm the diagnosis.

I hope this answers your query.

I will be available for follow up queries if any.

Regards,

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Jyoti Patil

Follow up: Dr. Akhilesh Yadav (1 hour later)

Thanks for the reply. It's the right ( Lateral ) side or my right knee. It's been four months since the arthroscopy. I've played 2 squash matches recently. The first was a gentle workout and i had no side affects. Early on in the second match 9 days ago, whilst attempting a basic back hand return, i felt a double pull on my lateral side. The first was lower down and followed almost immediately by a pull higher up. No pain fortunately. I decided to discontinue the match. I had some swelling the following day and pain for a few days if i squatted too low or bent my knee too far. It's okay now but I've no idea if it was because of the catching/clunking i normally experience. I've decided next time to wear a bandage and keep working on my quads and hamstring and fingers crossed it will be okay. One of my friends recommended a cortisone injection to get rid of the catching/crunching. What's your advice?

Answered by Dr. Akhilesh Yadav (7 minutes later)

Dear XXXXXXX

Thanks again.

I think you should follow the previous instructions. I would suggest first go for MRI of the right knee and consult near by Joints specialist (Sport injury specialist) before going for any cortisone injection.

Hope this helps.

Wish you good health.

Take care

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad