In 1992 I had a flap tear in my left knee. In 1975 I had torn the knee up in an industrial accident that required ACL repair. By 1990 the knee joint had gone degenerative. Initially the flap tear was just annoying. But then the knee would lock up if the flap moved any amount. So the orthopedic surgeon went in and cleaned the joint up. Snipped the flap without taking tissue away from the remaining portion of the meniscus. Since then there have been no problems with it. The operating surgeon was a sports medicine specialist and was the one who suggested I take up bicycle riding as a way of preserving the joint. Pedaling strengthens the muscle groups that give the knee joint support without the damaging effects of extensive walking or running impact.
The orthopedic doc told me to limit and standing pedaling as this will increase pressure on the joint.
From what I was able to understand looking at the knee joint surgery and rehab text books the joint's sliding surfaces are put under a great deal of pressure in the last few degrees of rotation as the leg straightens. I take this into account when I set up the seat height on the bikes.
There are also ligaments on either sides of the joint that can give you problems.
I should point out that I was told that crossing one's knees when sitting is not the best thing for the joint.
Just hang on until you see the orthopedic folks. Expect to have them do a bit of pulling, pushing and bending of the leg. Where the pain is gives them a fairly accurate idea of just what the problem is.
Something else I quickly learned with my knee. Don't get sucked into taking a lot of over the counter pain killers. I found that if you take enough to dull the pain and limit swelling you begin to see internal bleeding. Ice and elevation was the route to go.
You have a number of really good orthopedic specialists where you live. I don't know if he is still practicing but I had dealings with a Dr. Alexander A. Sapega, MD at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine in Philly. He wrote extensively on knee surgery and rehab.
E. Ogre