Originally Posted by Prodigy4299
Hmmm... on the contrary, I would imagine that having clipless would be best, just 'cause you could then distribute the power as evenly as possible through your stroke and therefore decrease the tension on the knee.
+1 Also, one can spin faster such that the work required to move the bike divided by the spin rate results in less force on the knees.
If clipping in creates a knee alignment that causes pain no matter how low the force, it is a problem. Clipless pedals have float and the cleats can be positioned forward and back as well as rotated such that it may be possible to eliminate pain if present. I think experimentation versus theory is the key to find out what works for the individual.