Any ideas (waiting for MRI)?

[AnnShh]

About 3 weeks ago I took a bad step while running out in a field and twisted my left knee. I immediately felt pain that occurred during any kind of bending of the knee. It could be felt right above my knee cap (slightly to the left) and continued to what felt like under my knee cap. The pain was felt whether I was walking, going up or down stairs, or sitting down and going from bent/straight or straight/bent position. The next day the pain was much worse, but after resting for the weekend it was significantly better.
I have required 5 day a week training, so I resumed that after resting for the weekend. Pain got worse throughout the week and was significantly worse by the end of the week (about the same level of pain that I had the day after the injury occured). Again, I rested for the weekend and it was much better afterwards. Repeat the 5 days training, and once again it is significantly worse by the end of the week. Rested for the weekend again which led to it feeling significantly better. Last week was week #3 and it once again got significantly worse with exercise.

I went to the Dr. on Wednesday and she first ordered x-rays to make sure those were clear (they were). She told me to rest until Monday and then resume my training. I am waiting to be scheduled for an MRI.

I have iced it on and off ever since the injury occurred. There was minimal to no swelling. Some slight bruising which went away but came back last week. I can't take time off of training, unfortunately, as I have a required fitness test in 1.5 weeks that is part of the process of ranking me nationally to determine my status (active/reserves and what job I get) when I graduate and commission. After the fitness test, I will be able to slow down training a little bit and take out things that will cause impact on my knee if need be.

Any ideas on what it could be ?? On the weekends I sit here and say to myself "it can't be anything too bad because if it was then I would feel pain all the time"... but then as soon as I go back to training during the week and I am hobbling around I'm sitting there worried that something is really wrong. Obviously only a doctor can diagnose it, but if anything ideas to research will give me something to occupy myself with while I sit around doing nothing this weekend.

[Heidi]

Sounds possibly like a cartilage injury. Either the meniscus or the articular cartilage. But as you say no one can say for definite without an MRI.
Rest as much as you can and try a knee support with patella buttress to stabilise the knee cap.