Or as my doctor tried to tell me in English, ‘brueeze’. However you pronounce it, this is the latest diagnosis of my decades-old knee problem. My sports doc was very confident in his MRI analysis and pointed out the bruise (I think on my femur). The bruise has water in it and can swell from time to time, causing me pain just under the patella. The cause of the bruise, however, is a small tear in the cartilage that was probably due to a fall. I did martial arts for years and the knee hit the floor more than a few times. I probably fell over drunk a couple of times, too, so this is not surprising.
I forgot to ask if this kind of thing is curable, but I did ask what the treatment was, and we are back to what I was doing a decade ago – Hyaluronic acid shots. He said that this is rien de grave and that I could wait to get the drugs and bring them to him after my tour season is done with. He also assured me that I DON’T have any osteoarthritis, which I was certain I had for about the last 12 years. He said that the tear is small, which doesn’t mean it can’t give me pain. It all seems very manageable once again. I’m sticking with this doctor because when you get the answer you are looking for, why bother keep searching?
The Vicious Cycle 
That’s my thought too. Keep looking until they give me the answer I’m looking for. It’s worked for decades. Even when I had back surgery, when I asked the surgeon, who is also a cyclist, when I could be riding again, he said tomorrow, which was the answer I wanted to hear. He also said, you’re not going to want to ride tomorrow or next week, because you’re going to be in all kinds pain, which was painfully true. He also said, to only ride on a trainer for three weeks because if I fell I would mess up his good work. Good advice.
Let’s hope you finally get your knee problem finally resolved. Good luck.
I forgot to mention that my sports doc is a cyclist, too, which gives him immediately cred.
That is a very good way of approaching medical problems. I hope that it is indeed rien de grave.
I think it is, until it turns into something later hopefully much later in life.
Sounds like the cartilage tear you’re describing is a meniscus tear. I had one from playing floor hockey. Went down to block shot and ouch. Rehabbed it myself for a year. Deep water running. Etc. But lateral movement caused swelling and pain so had MRI which showed small tear and had surgery by the Calgary Flames ortho surgeon. So was highly regarded. Physio daily the day after for the next 4 weeks. Quite swollen and couldn’t flex for first 10 days or so but never had a problem since. Although a few niggles in both knees on occasion recently. That’s about 35 years ago now. Meniscal tears don’t usually repair themselves unless there is something new I haven’t heard about. I don’t run anymore unfortunately so perhaps I never did challenge the knee as much as I should have with the pounding a run can give the knees. But walking and hiking I have no issues. Interesting you’re getting hyaluronic acid. I thought it was for those suffering with osteoarthritis so it’s good you’re getting success out of it and you don’t have OA. Or maybe that’s why you do t have it.
I was sure I had everything down when I left the doc’s office, then forgot half of it immediately. You’re probably right about it being the meniscus, although I don’t recall him using the word. I’ll get more info when I got back to him for the shot.
I thought it interesting that he recommended hyaluronic acid, too, but for a different reason. He talked about PRP last time I saw him, so I figured that’s what he’d be suggesting. I suppose that’s for something else…
Anyway, your story has a happy ending. Just don’t run!
Does Colnago make recumbent bikes? Lapierre?
Nooo!