I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TeeVee, but maybe we can do a little shade-tree diagnostic work. I would surmise it's nothing more than some tendonitis manifest from increased mileage. Tendons connect bone to muscle and they will grow to meet the demand placed on them. That's why the stimulus response of training works in the first place. The stretching and stress placed on the tendon causes it to become inflamed. Rest, Ice, Ibuprofene (for anti-inflammatory reasons - and yes, go by the recommended dosage which is surprisingly high but only truly effective if used as the manufacturer suggests), and possibly massage would more than likely be helpful.

Something else to examine would be shoes. Do you have new ones? How many miles are on the shoes you have? Are the shoes a fit for your running style and body type?

Hope this helps get you started on the road to recovery. It's pretty awful to be hurt. You will recover though.

Well, I hope some of that might help. At least, maybe it will give some options or perspective. I knew when you talked about "when you cut" that you were doing some other activities that probably contributed to the symptoms. If it's irritation from that it could be a host of other problems. Unless you've turned your knee, almost all other injuries running are overuse, whether they be increases in speed, duration, or terrain. Or, they are a shoe problem. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Knee is great.