Knee Maintenance
I'm feeling like I need an oil change or something 
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Knees are fine when riding, mostly fine when running. But in the mornings and when I go beyond the normal range of motion of running (think climbing stairs, squatting down to pick anything up, etc), the front of my knees hurt.
Anything I can do? When I think about it I take glucosamine but...I forget to take as often as I remember. Advil? Tylenol? Again, doesn't affect my bike at all but does pop up sometimes on the run, and in general they feel kinda achy or even painful when I go beyond X range of motion.
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I just had an exchange with Leigh about internet diagnosis and treatment. Very hard except in general terms and mostly textbook cases. She has more patience that I. I need face to face and hands-on. That said:
Might be chondromalcia patella (slight case) or just a really tight set of quads. Glucosamine and Chondrotin sulfate have been given a bad rap in some recent studies but I have lots of athletes that get great results...myself included. For chondromalcia you can do a general test yourself: sit on the floor with your involved leg straight out in front of you. Have Joanne push straight down on the kneecap towards the floor, then tighten your quad. If it hurts like sandpaper under your kneecap...then that's a positive test. Rough cartilage. Either way, tight quads contibute to the problem. stretch and foam roll the heck out of the quads.
I'm going to be at Oceanside during the 70.3. You going to be there? We can take a look at them and do a better exam than the internet.
Vince
A few things to think about when it comes to the creaky knee syndrome- typically the maltracking (which is what the noise actually is--your knee cap grinding over the bones beneath it) is the result of either a muscle imbalance within the four quad muscles or an overload of the whole muscle group due to other mechanical stuff.
Based on some of the things you've mentioned in other threads (flat feet, knee pain while running), I think it's a safe bet that the quads themselves are not your problem outright. My guess is that the real problem is the 2nd option- you're quads are getting cooked because the back part of your knee is so tight you can't ever relax them. Makes sense that biking would be no problem (you've got an efficient pedal stroke to balance out the muscle groups), whereas running could be hit or miss depending on the day.
The key to getting rid of the crunch is to loosen up all of the stuff in the back of the knee. Hamstrings and calf muscles criss cross directly behind the joint and when tight- they pull the knee cap right against the bone. Fatigue/overstrain the quad and voila- you get the crunch.
Normal knee ROM should be full bending no pain and when sitting with both legs out straight in front of you on the floor (*important for it to be accurate), you should be able to tighten your quad and then push the back of your knee all the way down so that it's touching the floor. From there you should be able to lift your heel up off the floor (hyperextend the knee).
So my advise is this- use the crunchy noise as your sign to get to work in the stretching, rolling, massage department. When everything is loosened up, it should go away.
www.endurancenation.us/en_forums/showthread.php
The first link is for some calf/hammie stretches. The 2nd link is a video I had put up for ways to work the lower leg.
www.youtube.com/watch
As far as the med stuff goes- IB to tolerance. the trick with IB is you have to take it regularly to get a level of it in your system (doesn't have to be a crazy amount, regular dosage with meals). If you use it has a pain reliever and only when things hurt, it's not as effective.
Lastly- pain with the full bending to end range. Honestly- that could be the result of things being tight or something more joint/cartilage specific. That being said, if you can loosen up the surrounding stuff, you should be able to get rid of the pain. If not, might be worth seeing an ortho if it's starting to get worse or impact your normal routine.
Hope that helps.
Historically, my knees have been okay when riding (no problems last year or during OS) - yesterday, I was outside for the 1st time and I felt like I strained something, pain feels inside patella, maybe slightly lateral to it - probably rode harder during OS workouts although I haven't had to deal with any wind (no modifications made in my riding position) - appreciate any advice, don't want to go without riding for long
@Joe- outside knee pain is the most common in cycling. usually as you try to muscle through, the knee can come in to the top tube as the calf/hammies stiffen up. nothing major to worry about, but get to work so it doesn't turn into a full blown tendonitis.
two things to do- 1) start stretching and working on your lower leg. follow the links above in the response to Rich's thread or check out www.pinnaclept.wordpress.com for ideas on how to loosen up any knots in your calf/hamstrings. follow with gentle stretching and ice on the knee for 10-15 min.
2) in the mean time, slide your cleats back on your shoes + drop your saddle a hair. that should help clear it up. will help unload your leg.
@ Joe- have you made any adjustments to your cleats/shoes?? throw your bike on your trainer and have them watch you pedal easy and at full throttle. see if your heel is angled in or out or the lower leg twists in relation to the other. If seat height doesn't help, it's definitely coming from the pedals up.
report back with anything you notice and we can help you out from there as far as adjustments are concerned!
Thanks for the advice - had a friend (also a PT and my wife who's also a PT, but specializes more in pediatrics watch) - adjusted cleats slightly but it's basically a patella tracking issue that needs some manipulation, exercises to correct -- still having some pain but I'm able to bike more, although still behind where I need to be