I've been injured for over 2 years now near my left knee and calf, and as a result out of MA and any intense exercise. It started with sharp pains on the outside of my calf, shooting down along the peroneous longus, then it settled, came back, settled e.t.c. For the past 2 months it's been getting bad again, with a slight burning feeling from top to bottom, sharp pains again near the top of the calf, and a dull pain in the ankle. I've tried deep tissue massage, acupuncture, physio, but nothing seemed to work. I went for an MRI a few months ago and the report says that I have a tear in my knee's cartilage, however the specialist thinks that's a red herring and is unrelated to the pain in my calf, suspecting a compression on the nerve. I saw him again today and he wants to send me for a nerve conduction test (will be next year now). The torn cartilage has never given me any issues; I never had any pain and never realised there was any injury. I don't know if it came about recently or years ago before I stopped training, and since the tear doesn't go all the way to the bone the doctor doesn't think much of it. Although scarily, I kept asking if it's a danger and at one point he said "it might be normal for someone your age" (24)...I don't know how a torn cartilage could be normal for any age?? So I have a few questions: - Should I be worried about torn cartilage? If it doesn't give me any pain whatsoever, is it safe to exercise? - I guess exercising with torn cartilage depends on how long it's been torn - is there any way to find out? - Is it safe to exercise with a compressed nerve, as the rest of the calf/lower leg looks fine on the MRI? - Can anybody recommend a specialist in London who specialises in sports injuries, and getting back into the sport? I don't feel comfortable with the doctor I saw, as he kept changing his mind when answering these questions, and didn't fill me with confidence.
