Quadriceps Tendinopathy…Don’t Worry I’ve Never Heard of It Either

Have I mentioned that I have a gammy knee? I’m quite gimpy. I can’t straighten it at all. I cannot remember injuring my knee. Just noticed one day last week that I couldn’t fully straighten my knee. After 2 days of full-on limping and a week of hobbling, I saw my doctor on Thursday of last week. Didn’t see my actual doctor who is out on surgical leave, but saw another doctor in the same practice but in a neighboring town.

The confusion and mayhem (sort of) of finding the new doctor’s office is post worthy. Suffice it to say by the time I hobbled out of my car into the office after parking in two different locations and circling the medical office building twice before I actually found the right office, I was exhausted and my knee was killing me. Oh and did I mention that the office parking lot has a steep spot near a couple of dumpsters where it feels as though you are driving on the banked turning corner of a race track? I thought my car would overturn. Luckily I didn’t have to park on the steep corner as I would surely have fallen over as I hobbled on my botched knee to the doctor’s office.

Kids all came home on Friday after school. The weekend lay ahead of us. I drove the carpool or maybe I didn’t…at this point in the school year everything is just a bit hazy about driving and school and sports schedules. I’m in the end-of-the-year fog. Not even bothering to clear a path in front of me, just blindly plowing through the fog to get to the end-of-the-school year. Blinders on, dragging my right leg, full steam ahead.

So Friday was normalish. I think I even cooked dinner?! I know! Cooking and Friday night and me are not usually used in the same sentence. My family enjoyed what I cooked…at least they didn’t hate it…which is a win in my book. I “think” we had activities that evening. Again it’s all a bit of a haze.

So Friday after getting home from driving the carpool it NEVER occurred to me to check my home answering machine. No one calls except for charities and telemarketers. Not even my parents or my husband’s parents leave messages…all of them call and leave messages on our cell phones. Anyway, I wandered in to the kitchen to make dinner at 4:45 p.m. only to see the flashing light. I KNEW it was the doctor calling back about my x-ray. Sure enough. I was asked to call back for the results of my x-ray. And of course the office CLOSED at 4 p.m. Of course it did.

So bam. Just like that my evening and really the entire weekend was off kilter. I was still in full-on hobbling mode. Still needed to know if I needed to see a specialist? Get an MRI? Buy crutches? The doctor’s answering service sadly was not able to give out test results. I knew I was going in to the weekend in a state of not knowing what was wrong with my knee. UGH. More limping around. A day later I noticed that the doctor had left a message on my cellphone. Why didn’t I hear the phone ring? Phone was probably buried in my bag. Don’t you hate when you miss an important call?

I called back bright and early on Monday…this week is my week to drive morning carpool so I am up and about EARLY whether I like it or not. Ooof. The verdict on my knee? I have Quadriceps Tendinopathy…don’t worry I’ve never heard of it either.

The SportsInjuryClinic.com can explain it better than I ever could:

Quadriceps Tendinopathy

• Overuse can cause pain and inflammation of the quadriceps tendon as it inserts into the top of the kneecap.
• Over time this can lead to degeneration of the tendon.

Symptoms of Quadriceps Tendinopathy

• Pain during and after exercise.
• Pain on contracting the quadriceps muscles.
• Pain can also be felt when pressing in along the top of the kneecap.
• Stiffness the day after training can also occur.
• Pain when standing from a crouched position.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for me. I was told by the tech to ice, elevate, rest, take ibuprofen, and do nothing over the next two weeks. Rest? Though I am not a super athletic type, the idea of resting makes me chuckle. Me? Rest? Pfft! I’m either in my van or at my desk or at a kids’ event. I’m rarely just resting.

The “overuse” part is puzzling to me. How exactly does a person who is either driving or behind a desk or waiting at an activity overusing ANY body part? I have no idea how I overused my knee, except that the limping is getting old. The icing and elevating is working. I’m making myself rest.