About a year ago, I was shooting some hoops up near my in-law’s house. As I was jumping up to shoot, I felt a twinge in my knee. Figuring it wasn’t anything to worry about, I kept playing. The walk home - up a huge hill - hurt much more than I expected.

A year later, that knee is still hurting. Walking and cycling is ok, but running and jumping hurts, just under the kneecap. I’ve injured a few tendons & ligaments in my day; usually I would just stop that activity until it healed up. I guess that policy works when you’re in your twenties, because it sure hasn’t worked this time.

I finally decided to get it properly checked out. I got a call last Friday from the doctor: I have a small partial tear in my patellar tendon, right near the face of the bone. “I was planning… a little hike tomorrow. Do you think it will hold up?” Yes, it should be fine, he replied. “Just no more basketball for now.”

I didn’t say I was planning on climbing Mt. St. Helens the next morning. Surprisingly, the knee felt fine, although I could definitely feel it as I skinned up the slush. Skiing down felt ok, too, although I could have been having too much fun to notice the knee.

Before I knew exactly what it was, I did suspect it was the patellar tendon, based on the location and symptoms. Now that I know, though, I’m a little paranoid about it - what would it take to tear it further, or completely? Is biking making it worse?

The next step is to talk to the specialist. I don’t know what my options are at this point, but I’m tired of waiting. I’d really like to be able to run and jump without knee pain.

Posted in Adventures, Life