Self-Diagnosing Me

My inherent worrisome and hypochondriac nature, coupled with my interest in reading random things on WebMD.com, has led me to the (mostly unfounded and, in all likelihood, inaccurate) self-diagnosis that I have Patellar Tendinitis in my left knee, also known as "Jumper's Knee."

This has been a recurring problem for me. It's been bothering me on and off, at varying degrees of intensity, for months now. I've already seen an orthopedic doctor for this -- I made the mistake of wearing jeans to the appointment; obviously, he has to look at my knee to properly examine it, so I had to take my jeans off and put on the office's grimy pair of communal shorts -- and after making me bend and squat and kneel and flex, he determined that there was nothing wrong with me. "A healthy young man," he said, with a "completely clean bill of health." But naturally, I know better.

Here's a description of the condition from athleticadvisor.com:

Patellar tendinitis or "jumper's knee" is a condition resulting from overuse of the knee.

Tendinitis is simply the inflammation of a tendon. This can be due to numerous factors. Some of the more common factors associated with this condition are:

• a rapid increase in the frequency of training,
• sudden increase in the intensity of training,
• transition from one training method to another,
• repeated training on a rigid surface,
• improper mechanics during training,
• genetic abnormalities of the knee joint, and/or
• poor base strength of the quad muscles.

Any or all of these factors can lead to the development of patellar tendinitis.

Basketball players are the most common athletes to experience this problem. Many athletes will make a transition from football to basketball during the school year. These two sports place entirely different stresses on the knee joint. The transition itself may be the only factor contributing to the condition. Other factors in these athletes may include: a change in training surface, increased amounts of continuous running and/or jumping, and the pounding associated with football.

The signs and symptoms of patellar tendinitis are fairly easy to detect. The athlete will complain of:

• pain in the area of the tendon,
• the knee will often feel "tight,"
• pain will be experienced early in the workout and after the workout is completed,
• there may be some subtle swelling of the tendon, and
• the athlete may feel that the tendon is "squeaking."

Treatment of this condition begins with continuation of a general fitness and flexibility program. The best treatment is prevention! The multi-sport athlete should utilize proper conditioning techniques to ease the transition from one sport to another. Proper conditioning should include aerobic fitness, lower body strength training, and lower body flexibility training. Flexibility is very important in preventing overuse injuries such as patellar tendinitis.

Once the condition is present, there are several treatment options. The athlete is strongly encouraged to remain active in practice as well as rehabilitation so that he/she will not detrain, fail to keep up on the offensive and defensive schemes of the game, and most importantly loose the mental drive to compete. The rehabilitation should be designed to decrease the symptoms, strengthen the muscles of the quad region and improve hamstring and quad flexibility.

Also, factors that may pre-dispose the athlete to this injury should be isolated and corrected. This could be as simple as improving the conditioning of the athlete (e.g. non-pounding conditioning such as interval training on a bicycle rather than running). If the tendinitis is due to a strength imbalance in the quadriceps and hamstrings, the athlete should begin exercises to target the weak muscles of the quads or hamstrings.

My knee is a kind of sore -- I don't have a significant limp, but I am walking around semi-gingerly and I can't push off my left leg as forcefully or as confidently as I'd like; also, I can feel a dull ache at at the end of the day and the front of my knee cap does feel a little tender to the touch -- so I'm assuming this must be the problem.

From everything I've read, this is typically associated with professional athletes, especially those who play sports with a lot of jumping (i.e. basketball, volleyball, etc.). At first glance, "professional athlete" wouldn't seem to apply to me, but I do play basketball for about 20-25 minutes at the park every other day or so, and I do own quite a few basketball jerseys (an away Philadelphia Sixers Jerry Stackhouse, an away Golden State Warriors Chris Webber, an away Charlotte Hornets Larry Johnson, a home Los Angeles Lakers Nick Van Exel, an away Miami Heat Alonzo Mourning). So I'm guessing, at the very least, I've earned the honorary title of "professional athlete."

I will continue to rest, ice, compress, and elevate.

(I'm overreacting.)