[RenewalMan]

Hey fellas,
I've been getting into mma pretty heavy recently. I let it get a little too far the other day and dislocated my kneecap.
I was wondering if any of you fighters, doctors, physical therapists, etc. have any tips to a speedy recovery.
I'm definitely going to see a professional, but any advice you guys have in the mean time would be extremely beneficial.

[Hades]

I'm probably not the guy to see on speeding recovery, but for future injury prevention you have to hit up them squats man.

I'd recommend bodyweight squats, ass to ground. While barbell squats will also help I would be leery of weighted squat training for a while. I would also be leery of any plyometric or jumping type training for quite some time. However a few slow bodyweight squats every day won't hurt.

Ever since I've been able to do a couple of sets of about 4 or 5 one-legged pistol squats my knees feel very solid and packed with ligature. Just the other day I stumbled down hard on one knee into some cobblestones, ripped my jeans pretty badly, but my knee was completely fine. If I did that a year ago my kneecap would have slid back and probably popped.

How bad off is your kneecap exactly? Did it just pop a bit or did it slide all the way down your shin?

[Prophylaxis]

Firstly, you want to make sure there is no fracture either inside the joint or on the kneecap. You may be required to wear a zimmer splint for sometime.

If all is clear: definitely hit up the quad strengthening, especially VMO (vastus medialis oblique) - start off with inner range quads and progress to gentle wall squats with proper form. This will help stabilise the kneecap, which you WILL be needing to substitute the now over-lax ligaments supporting the kneecap. Don't rush straight into heavy squats just yet, only once you have full knee range of motion. Glut strengthening and good hip flexibility are also crucial.

If you were to return to MMA, i'd definately recommend strapping the kneecap toward to inside (see McConnell taping) with the outside part of the kneecap reinforced.

It's all about prevention. People who dislocate kneecaps have a 50% chance of re-dislocating if proper rehab is not under-taken. See a good physical therapist to get the ball rolling.

[RenewalMan]

Thanks guys. To give you a little more info, it was a lateral patellar subluxation (or in Layman's terms my left kneecap fully slipped to the outside of the body) I've done it before on my right knee, but got lazy with PT so I definitely need to strengthen the surrounding muscles this time.

As of now I'm just icing and resting it. Probably going to try a few minor exercises today to test the waters.

As far as squats, I've been avoiding them for a while because of my knee issues but I think the only way to prevent future problems is to work slow and steady.

@prophylaxis any suggestions for exercises that promote hip flexibility?

Edit @hades I would kill to be able to do 5 one legged squats on each leg. That's going to be my year-long fitness goal

[Hades]

Well for one legged squats, what I find is the best thing to do is first work up to about four sets of fifteen ATG bodyweight squats, taking plenty of time between each set (I do these when I'm making dinner). Higher rep two-legged bodyweight squats does little to help for raw strength.

Then for one legged work I think it's not a good idea to do the one legged squat half way (like sitting in a chair, then standing on one leg). You might build a lot of strength in the "half-squat" position, but that will only help you for about fifteen degrees of motion in either direction. That's sort of the law of isometrics. Doing half squat work will still cause you to struggle greatly in the lowest position of the squat (where you have the most resistance due to leverage) and will hinder muscle growth you could have otherwise had.

What I did to work up to it was stand between two chairs or grab a set of gymnastic rings in the iron cross position, go down fully on one leg (while using the chairs for balance), then pushing back up on the fingertips. Grabbing a doorway or a rope (tied to a doorknob or the like) also works pretty well. That way you can do quite a few reps without having the proper strength to do it unassisted. Works great as a warmup too.

Depending on your physical size it might take quite a while to be able to do five one legged squats on either side but I'm roughly 200 pounds and it took me about five months of somewhat consistent effort. I did not notice significant ligature increases until about three months in, but if you're already fairly fit you might notice some almost immediately.

On hip flexibility, I have found that doing sets of yoga-style bridges helps a lot. Walking down a wall backwards helps considerably as well. Pavel notes that most Americans have very tight hip flexors to the point where they walk slightly hunched over, which I have found to be true. Not sure why though.

[Prophylaxis]

Hades has some good advice.

He's spot on about the hip flexors. Tight hip flexors inhibit gluts and can increase forces through the knee. Look up hip flexors stretches -

Also make sure your glut med is firing well. It's all well training quads and general glut strengthening through squats - but if you lack pelvic stability, your knee will continue to take a hammering in MMA.

Basic glut med strengthening can be started firstly through clams or sidelying hip abduction

Sounds like you might be genetically predisposed to further subluxations - so definitely do these with both legs

[RenewalMan]

Damn, this is why I love this forum. Exceptional advice guys thanks!