Ok, so I feel like I came across a potential diagnosis for my knee, and it seems encouraging. I may have already mentioned that prior to the injury, the one thing i did differently was a very intense interval session on the upright bike at the Easley Y. After doing some internet research I found "patellofemoral syndrome". This is common and is associated with running/biking/etc, especially with an increased intensity. The symptoms seem to be accurate with what i'm dealing with. Pain throughout the anterior part of the knee with some sharp pains on occasion. and it definitely aches in the sitting position. Dr. Peter and everyone else...any experiences with this?
http://www.hopkinsortho.org/patellofemoralpain.html
I guess my main question is whether or not the sharp pains on the medial part of my knee could be a symptom of this. That is the only thing that scared me enough to go to the orthopaedic.
Yes it could be, and it could also be several other things. Internet Dx are almost impossible to make. When the input is one directional it gets skewed. That is why a Dr will ask a bunch of silly questions that don't make any sense to the patient. It is also why the Dr. will ask even more questions while you are being examined like "Does it hurt when I do this?" You just can't get that interaction typing on a keyboard.
It doesn't matter if it is an orthopedist, chiropractor, Physical therapist, frequently injured friend or witch doctor, it takes someone skilled in athletic/running/cycling injuries to figure out what the issue is.
Based on the limited info I have seen so far, I would suspect it is probably not all that bad. I really don't like the idea of spin bikes for hard interval sets. They are not properly fitted and the flywheel effect is not good for knees. I am also a strong believer in low intensity base building with limited amounts of high intensity intervals only when the base is sufficient. The healing process when you were younger is not as good when you get older.