A good PT is priceless ...
After 2 knee surgeries and chronic shoulder impingement problems, I've learned that outside of diagnosis, most sports docs are superfluous -- unless the condition absolutely requires surgery. Providing guidance on alternate therapies is not an orthopod's forte. Podiatrists and allied health professionals (PTs, massage therapists) can be very helpful, however.
Quad and accessory muscle strength, gait abnormalities, corrective orthotics, hiking pole benefits, chondroitin -- all good info that I had collected piecemeal from various sources, but one good PT (preferably one who performs the same or similar sports that you do) can explain all this at once, from the beginning. And can then prescribe a stretching and workout regimen to deal with the problem now as well as avoid future recurrences (with many variations to alleviate boredom and overuse injuries).
Ok I'm off the soapbox now ... Good luck.