Sharp pain under kneecap

Hi Docs. Squatting a backoff set the other day, felt a sharp pain under my kneecap. Stopped, iced to make it feel better, felt all right the next day, a little stiff but nothing that unusual for this 67 year old. Next day in Jiu Jitsu did an easy take down of my training partner, felt that sharp pain again, and now the knee, while flexing, is consistently painful, a sharp tweak, at a particular place. Just moving the knee through the range of motion, or stepping or down stairs I feel the tweak, about midway through.

My typical approach to these things is to take it a little easy until the sharp pain goes away, and then keep moving at a pace that feels right. I’m wondering if this sounds like a meniscus tear, and if so, should I be approaching this in a different way, and how long should I wait before seeking medical intervention. My recollection of other posts is that meniscus tears sometimes settle down and don’t require intervention, but I’m not sure how long that settling down process might take.

Thank you.

Unfortunately it’s not really possible for us to prioritize a structural diagnosis here. Whatever it is, based on your description doesn’t sound like it requires immediate/emergency intervention, so you likely have some time to let it calm down and gradually reintroduce some graded exposure. You are correct that the majority of meniscal injuries do not require surgery. So at this point I would probably suggest applying our usual general advice when it comes to pain & rehabilitation and giving it a bit of time. If you continue to have trouble, if you want another (and more individualized) opinion, a consult with our rehab team would be a great option to move forward.