Running (and walking) in place

My running isn't quite in a state of hiatus, but it is close.  An occasional few miles of not quite scintillating jogging here and there, inevitably followed by the left knee issue flaring up.  Followed by  few days of just walking, some working out with my personal trainer a couple of times a week, mixed in with a big dose of frustration.  So not much progress. 

I recently thought I had stumbled onto something when I read about capcaisin (an extract of red hot chili peppers) being used for arthritis and certain nerve pain conditions such as the side-effects of shingles.  A short trip to Walgreen's and $8 later, I was rubbing the not too sticky but burning hot (to the taste, yes I had to try it...) liquid onto my knee.  It seemed to work initially, deadening the painful response I would typically get when tapping the bony protrusion right below and to the left of my left knee.  Hmmm?  Could this be the answer to world tension?  Of course it was too good to be true.  I have now dutifully been applying hot pepper sauce to the knee three times a day for a week, with little effect.  As they used to say in Mozambique in the old days, 'la luta continua'. The fight goes on.

Consults with two orthopedic surgeons (completely contradictory advice) led me to nowhere.  Next week I will make an appointment with a local sports injury 'specialist', a chiropractor who also performs (if that is the word) ART aka Active Release Treatment.  And if that doesn't work, I can always wait until my next trip to Africa in January, to have a spiritual healer throw some bones to divine if there's any running left in my future.  It won't cost nearly as much as seeing an orthopedic specialist and will likely be just as effective.