Martial Arts with an knee injury

[kicker2000]

I recently was injured playing football and had to go through surgery for a large tear in my Lateral meniscus, a smaller tear in my Medial meniscus and a large chip off the underside of my knee cap. I am looking for advice on martial arts were there isnt as much impact to your knees. I have taken teakwondo krav maga and I wrestle so anything you can help me with for a replacement would be great.

[cakegirl]

Hey there,

I had knee surgery November 2003 as I'd shattered part of the back of my kneecap.

Since then, anything with deep stances is not really working for me. I do Shotokan karate, so it's kind of gotten in the way of that. I'm still training, but it's taken a year to get to the point where I can train "seriously".

As for BJJ, I went back to that before I went back to karate. I was just careful when rolling, and I never went to the full mount for months - every time I'd get the mount, I'd end up forcing the other person onto their side and going to half mount - with my good knee up behind their head, and the foot of my "bad" leg wedged in front of their stomach - this took the pressure off.

I also used to tap if I was rolling and our positioning got anywhere near twisting or putting pressur on my knee. Also, if anyone hooked my foot or leg, I wouldn't wait for the footlock or kneebar, and I wouldn't try to defend it, for fear of twisting it the wrong way. I'd just tap straight away. But I still got to train and learn new techniques!

So you can do BJJ, as long as you have understanding training partners who know that you might tap if you get into a position where you feel your knee is "threatened".

You should also hit the gym with a personal trainer who knows about rehab, and strengthen your leg muscles, to take some of the pressure of the knee joint.

Kickboxing and other standup arts are OK, as long as you have enough technical skill to control the positioning of your legs, especially your support leg while kicking. This was never a problem for me because of my karate background - I have done many kickboxing classes since the op and haven't had a problem, but I do know others who don't have that 'inbuilt' leg positioning reflex, and when they do roundhouse kicks and the like, their supporting leg stays pointing forwards while their body and other leg spin, and the twist puts too much pressure on the support knee. You have a TKD background, so chances are you've got good kicking instincts, so you may be able to go into a stand-up type of training.

Cakegirl

[JasonE]

Sorry to hear about your injury! I've also had a major tear in my medial meniscus, and am training 100% now. I'll post a better reply soon, when I have more time.

[JasonE]

I recently was injured playing football and had to go through surgery for a large tear in my Lateral meniscus, a smaller tear in my Medial meniscus and a large chip off the underside of my knee cap. I am looking for advice on martial arts were there isnt as much impact to your knees. I have taken teakwondo krav maga and I wrestle so anything you can help me with for a replacement would be great.

Your options depend in part on the status of your knee. Before you return to regular training, you need to focus on regaining range of motion and stability. Once you have regained most of your pain-free range of motion, you might even go back to your old training, like I did.

That said, I was able to safely practice Chen Tai Chi immediately after my knee surgery. It helped me regain strength and stability in the joint while I recovered.

Once I was about 80% of normal, I started Aikido practice again, and that worked great too.

When I hit about 90% of normal, I went back to MMA training. I wear a light knee brace for extra stabilization during training, and started back at a light level of intensity. As my knee improved, I stepped up the intensity. For the last few years I've been at 100% and even competed in a NAGA event.

Listen to your body, pay attention to your medical professional(s), and read up on how to rehab injuries like yours. With patience, care and intelligence, you should be able to regain most or all of what you've temporarily lost.

[HtTKar]

Listen to your body, pay attention to your medical professional(s), and read up on how to rehab injuries like yours. With patience, care and intelligence, you should be able to regain most or all of what you've temporarily lost.

Jason, Great advice.
I have only been a member here for a little while, But often people ask about how to recover from injuries. Offering your intelligent advice gained through experience is very encouraging.

Like you said; Listen to your doctors, pay attention to your body, and take it slow. Very good advice indeed

[47MartialMan]

Sorry to inform you-a knee injury will never completely heal. Wait 20 or 30 years later and you will feel.