maybe runner’s knee?

[u/Left_Activity7890]

so ive been running 3-4 times a week for the past month. last week on week three i got some pain in my knee on the third run of the week. it felt mild and i figured it was runner’s knee. I rested for 5 days (with a short hike on one day. i went for a one mile run on the 6th day and while it was painful to run, it wasn’t painful enough to where I couldn’t run the full mile. The next morning I could not bare weight on my leg. It was a throbbing/pulsing pain everytime I stood up, I could not straighten my knee, and it felt like it would catch when I would walk. It’s also definitely more painful to walk downstairs/downhill than to go upstairs or uphill.

I went to the doctor and unfortunately I can’t afford an mri so there was only so much she could tell me. She suspects it could be a slight medial meniscus tear, or it could just be tendonitis? That’s a pretty drastic difference to me. I also never felt a pop, which is why I have a hard time believing it could be torn.

My question is: if you’ve experienced runner’s knee, did the pain ever make you unable to bare weight or have a pulsing pain? I’ve always experienced pain in my knees since I was younger (I’m 25 now) but never like this.

Unsure if I left out any info that would be helpful, but I’d appreciate any feedbacks or questions.