Why is my left knee popping?

[ironman1315]

Or, why can’t I keep my knee bent for longer than 5 minutes straight without it going stiff.

Last week I went on a hike and my right knee, one that has had problems for a decade or so now, was giving me fits, so I favored my left knee on the downhill of the Delicate Arch hike in Arches National Park. Lefty was a touch sore but slept and it was fine.

Fast forward a week, and I fell asleep in my chair, knees bent, and now my left knee gets super stiff when it’s bent for a few minutes at a time and won’t loosen up until I force it straight and it pops. It’s been getting better these past couple of days, but why is this happening? Webmd says cancer.

[astUTE]

Don’t listen to webmd…

[ironman1315]

I generally don’t. But surely this cancer diagnosis out of the 50 I have received from WebMD will be correct.

[EagleMountainUte]

Well go to a doctor. But a possibility is gout. Which is largely affected by diet. But seriously go to a doctor. Not one of those behind the shed type doctor’s either. 

[GameForAnyFuss]

You’ve got cartilage damage. What happens is your cartilage begins to separate from the bone and when you move your knee, the pulled up piece catches on little bumps as they rub against each other.

They can do surgery to either reattach the cartilage, or just cut away the excess. Recovery time varies between a few days to a month.

[ironman1315]

Noooooooooooooo. I’ve already had that surgery as a follow up to a different knee surgery on old righty. I don’t want another one.

[Mr Chainsaw]

Agreed.  I had the same problem.  If I understand correctly this is what happened to Zach Moss last fall.  I damaged the cartilage when I was younger then out of the blue my knee started locking up. Had to get it arthroscopically removed.

[User Suspended]

Pretty sure it’s cartilage cancer

[ironman1315]

That’s what webmd said.

[PlainsUte]

Itsa goin’ to rain tomorrow??

[ironman1315]

No, right leg is the barometer. It says partly cloudy. Clear by evening.