So the MRI came back clean as to meniscus issues, no tears and it looked to be in excellent shape and plenty of padding in there. Also had no issues with ligaments. It did reveal some roughness on the rear of the kneecap, which is the presumed cause of the knee pain. He said that there were no hairline fractures of the kneecap, which is also a bonus. He said that the MRI doesn’t really give a good look at how deep the roughness was, however. He did say that there could also be roughness on the cartilage on the underside of the femur which could also be adding to the pain. He said the only real treatment is to scope it and smooth it out.
However, he wants me to slowly get back into running to see if I can tolerate it and get more mileage before needing a scope. So, he prescribed new shoes, low miles to get back in, and nothing too fast/long for a while. He suggested keeping up with the cross-training, and getting on the bike to get more exercise without the strain on the knee. He did say that when the pain returned, or became too much to bear, he would suggest a scope, but wants to put it off as long as possible which I think is a good plan of attack.
So, what now. Who knows. I’ll be looking for a new pair of cushioning/stability shoes. Thinking of sticking with the Brooks Beast which have been the most supportive, but are just so stinking heavy. Want to check out the new Pearl stability shoes. Then back to baby mileage for a while and slowly build up the distance. But bottom line is I’ll see you back on the road.