Well, today was my first meeting with Andy Pruitt at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. I was warmly greeted by staff, filled out the requisite paperwork and waited to be called in. As I waited I noticed, among the many motivational photos of the outdoors, that there were various autographed photos of athletes from around the world thanking Pruitt for his help; I was quietly hoping that the day would soon come when I’d be able to send him a photo of myself offering him my thanks…

After introducing himself, he asked me about my problem and patiently listened to my story. I told him that I had a custom-made road bike, for which I was professionally fit by one of the best fitters in Boulder; and with the level of competition here, that’s saying something. I explained that the pain was primarily on the inside of my right knee and that it radiated up the back of my leg into my hamstring. He nodded. The pain would, without fail, start between nine to 10 miles into a ride, depending on the level of exertion. Again, the nod. The pain is more of burning sensation rather than an acute, or sharp pain. More nodding.

He asked me to stand up; he looked at my legs, my knees and my feet, jotted down some notes, which always makes you feel awkward—as if they know something about you that they’re not telling you, and then asked me to stand on one leg and squat down. I then sat on the table. He felt around my knee and my hamstring and in about 45 seconds asked me, “is this where it hurts?” “YES.” I said emphatically, holding back my flinching elbow from his eye. “How about here?” “Yep, there too” I said. All the while he kept the incessant nodding. He told me confidently, “I know what the problem is.” He stepped out of the room and came back with his radiologist, who took a couple of x-rays of my knee.

When I came back into the examination room, Pruitt put the x-rays up on the board and he told me that he just wanted rule out the possibility of a bone spur or some other obtrusion that might be affecting the tendons in question. He sat me down and gave me his diagnosis: “pes ansurinus” he said. “Huh?” I said. He explained that I have what is also known as “goose foot” tendonitis and bursitis, which is an inflammation and irritation of the tendon and the bursa along the inside of the knee. The reason for the funny name is because the tendons come down from the hamstring around the inside of the knee and attaches toward the front of the knee in three heads, resembling the foot of a goose apparently. I was told this was a common injury for cyclists. Once the diagnosis was given we talked about solutions to the problem.

His first recommendation was to get a pair of Body Geometry shoes with the blue BG++ inserts and then to come back with those for a visit to the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine fit lab, wherein I would undergo a 3-dimensional, computerized fit program to determine whether my custom-made bike was doing for me what it was designed to do.

Overall, I had sense of relief that Pruitt felt confident he knew what my problem was, that it wasn’t esoteric, and that he would in all likelihood be able to solve the problem. He did inform me that there might be a need for cortisone shots and additional physical therapy, but he wanted to tackle the biomechanical issues first to ensure that I wasn’t continually re-injuring myself every time I went out on my bike. The first visit left me feeling good about the possibility of getting back on my bike soon. I’ll let you know how the fit session goes next time. Until then, keep spinning.

Editor's Note: Specialized is underwriting LeCarner's treatment at the Boulder Center of Sports Medicine and is providing Body Geometry equipment and services. Tom will be reporting on the outcome of the treatment on a regular basis. His previous columns can be read here.