I was walking to my car one night and got this sharp pinching in my vmo, like a nerve pain. I hadn’t done any hard training all week and the last time I did anything with cycling was 4 days before in zone 1. I started thinking this was similar to my plica injury I had a few years ago and I had surgery for that. Everything healed nicely on that leg and I got back to everything. I have been doing strength exercises, etc for a couple years now. I’m ticked off because I don’t remember doing anything to cause this injury. I went to the doc for this and he said it was a strain, but I disagree. I’ve been icing and using the pool bouy only this week. I would just stop all training, but I have a race planned out of the country in 5 weeks. I’ve read up on saphenous nerve entrapment and it sounds like all my symptoms. If I have to walk the run I will be okay with that. I’m worried the cycling will agitate it and afraid to try. I’m going to try and get into PT, but don’t believe they can see me until after the holidays 
any help out there?
Differentiating peripheral nerve pain versus soft tissue (nocioceptive) is fairly easy; without any obvious recent event association the cause may be a bit more challenging.
Your history of knee surgery would be my first candidate, but direct nerve trauma following knee surgery is usually exposed in the recovery. It is possible some indirect or consequential trauma could be the problem or you have something going on with the knee again.
Shot gunning here so take it for what it is worth, but wanted to chime in on the neuropathic piece as that is easily ruled in/out.
Sounds like you went to the wrong or type of M.D.
Cheers.
this is the other knee, not the one I had surgery for plica
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Didn’t gather that but really doesn’t change much just rules out nerve trauma from surgery.