Knee pain and scared.
I often cycle from Victoria BC to Nanaimo BC via the Malahat (big hill on the highway). It's about 115 km all told. I ride a 2004 Giant OCR Touring.
Dec 15th I got a pain in my left knee while cycling this route. It was under the kneecap, on the outer part of the knee. It didn't seem to be related to anything, any accident or previous history. I went to the doctor, who said that it was probably a strained tendon and to go easy for a few days. He said that I could keep cycling as long as I kept it light. He also said that I could try the route again if I didn't feel any pain and the knee seemed strong.
Jan 3rd, I went on the route again. I had been cycling for an hour and was halfway up the Malahat hill when the knee started hurting all at once again. There was little warning - a kind of pop and then pain. I got a friend to drive me back home. When I went back to the hospital, the doctor (a different one) told me the same thing. Tendon. Stretch. Take it easy. Both doctors tested the knee, and while there was some tenderness in the area where it was hurting, the knee was otherwise sound. I can walk and do light cycling on my Kona mountain bike without causing the knee pain.
What gets me is that this is a route that I have cycled many times, on the same bike and in the same weather. I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary and have no idea why this decided to strike now.
Has anyone had anything like this happen to them? Is it serious? Does anyone have any idea how long it takes something like this to heal? Now I realize that most if not all of the people here aren't doctors, but it would be great if anyone could give me some tips that might solve this mystery. I'm in the Canadian Navy and there doesn't seem to be a sports specialist anywhere on base.