Left knee clicking but only pain moving for backhands

[azrael201]

I've been trying to peruse this forum for what people experience in terms of knee injuries, but couldn't find anything similar to my situation. I play about 3 times a week on a 4.0 level. About a few weeks ago I noticed my left knee would click during the ascent of my squats even without weight. I read this could be Patellar femoral syndrome (PFS) from poor tracking of the patella. I was afraid it could be a meniscus or ligament injury even though there was no pain so I decided to take a week or two off from lifting and play tennis instead. I also saw my doctor who did a McMurray test and said it's not my meniscus and there was no pain on his examination and thought it was PFS and gave me exercises to do. However, I guess from playing more tennis my left knee started feeling unstable (no locking) and the past week I would have pain inside my knee when I scramble for a backhand or possibly even loading for backhand. I also thought it could be jumper's knee from serving, but no pain during serving.

My doctor did give me a script for PT, but did my own rehab from videos I watched on YouTube. I am doing 10-20 min on a stationary bike with leg extensions and PFS exercises. When I put my hand on my left knee during biking I can feel a lot of clicking at the inferior end of my patella. I am wearing a brace and taking Naprosyn now.

Could this still be meniscus or ligament injury despite negative physical exam? Should I ask my doctor for a MRI or go to my PT referral? I literally started getting noticeably better with my footwork and now this happens.

 

[r2473]

Let me ask you this, did you get any vaccinations as a child? If so, I might know what’s causing this.

 

[azrael201]

Let me ask you this, did you get any vaccinations as a child? If so, I might know what’s causing this.

is this an autism joke? yes I did

 

[SteveI]

I've been trying to peruse this forum for what people experience in terms of knee injuries, but couldn't find anything similar to my situation. I play about 3 times a week on a 4.0 level. About a few weeks ago I noticed my left knee would click during the ascent of my squats even without weight. I read this could be Patellar femoral syndrome (PFS) from poor tracking of the patella. I was afraid it could be a meniscus or ligament injury even though there was no pain so I decided to take a week or two off from lifting and play tennis instead. I also saw my doctor who did a McMurray test and said it's not my meniscus and there was no pain on his examination and thought it was PFS and gave me exercises to do. However, I guess from playing more tennis my left knee started feeling unstable (no locking) and the past week I would have pain inside my knee when I scramble for a backhand or possibly even loading for backhand. I also thought it could be jumper's knee from serving, but no pain during serving.

My doctor did give me a script for PT, but did my own rehab from videos I watched on YouTube. I am doing 10-20 min on a stationary bike with leg extensions and PFS exercises. When I put my hand on my left knee during biking I can feel a lot of clicking at the inferior end of my patella. I am wearing a brace and taking Naprosyn now.

Could this still be meniscus or ligament injury despite negative physical exam? Should I ask my doctor for a MRI or go to my PT referral? I literally started getting noticeably better with my footwork and now this happens.

Hi:

If possible, I would get an x-ray and MRI. If you go in a good knee doctors office they can do both the same day in most cases. I would not be doing squats until you are sure you do not have a tear. Most orthos will do the tests. The physical exam could be wrong..

"According to some sources, the sensitivity of the McMurray test for medial meniscus tears is 53% and the specificity is 59%. In a recent study, clinical test results were compared with arthroscopic and/or arthrotomy findings as reference.[4] The clinical test had a sensitivity of 58.5%, a specificity of 93.4%, and the predictive value of a positive result was 82.6%. A more recent study showed a 97% specificity for meniscal tears."

Good Luck.. I hope it is nothing...

 

[tennis347]

It could be just an overuse injury. I have had my share of knee issues over the last 10 years and had an arthroscopic surgery on my right knee.

I can tell you that if it’s not a tear of any sort it’s probably a sign of degeneration to your patella. Over years the cartilage on the back of patella wears down and can cause clicking or cracking when getting up from a seated position. I have some cracking in both knees from all the years of playing playing tennis and running. I no longer jog.

In your case it could be a tracking issue with the patella but if you are getting instability that could be a sign of meniscus or ligament tear. I would recommend getting the MRI in effort to see if you tore anything. You didn’t say hold you are?

I am 52 and still play a couple of times per week at the 4.0-4.5 level and go to the gym to incorporate resistance training and cardio. I take most of the winter off and go exclusively to the gym. My knees are holding up because I don’t over do it any longer.

It doesn’t get any easier with age. 3 times per week is a decent amount of tennis especially singles and if it’s competitive. You may want to scale back on the playing time moving forward. Tough call. I usually only play singles 2 times per week. I don’t want to go for knee replacements.

Hope this information helps you!!

 

[Marius_Hancu]

Take liquid glucosamine for several months
It helped me make disappear some knee noises
Go to an orthopedic surgeon specializing in knees