Patella Experts please
 

I couldn't find the answer to this using the search facility. I have a pain in the right knee. it only hurts with the knee fully bent, the top left side of the patella (well under it I guess) hurts if I press on it.

This seems different to the typical patella complaints - where the pain in centred at the bottom where the patella and ligament join.

Any thoughts? It is sore but I can still ride and is improving.

had some probs at the top of the knee cap where the quads join to the knee. Apparently strained the ligaments there. I had quite a fair bit of pain even walking and worse when taking stairs. A healthy does of painkillers and 2 weeks layoff solved the problem.

Seat was too low for me, had it set up properly and no probs since.

I have no answer, but every time I read the headline, I somehow get it to read "Nutella Experts please"... guess it's lunchtime soon! :-)

http://www.bigkneepain.com/runners_knee.html

Runners Knee is a condition characterized by pain behind or around the kneecap. Poor kneecap tracking is believed to be the main cause this condition. The kneecap (patella) slides over a groove on the thighbone (femur) as your knee bends and straightens. If, for example, the front thigh muscles (quadriceps) are weak or imbalanced, the resulting muscle imbalance can pull the kneecap to the left or right of the groove, causing pressure, friction, and irritation to the cartilage on the undersurface of the kneecap when the knee is in motion.

Overuse/overload of the quadriceps - especially running, going up and down stairs - can cause this condition to flare up, as can poor exercise techniques, e.g. a poorly fitting bicycle, improper footwear etc.

Rest : (not total rest) Temporarily avoid activities that cause extra stress on the knees such as squatting/kneeling or high impact activities like running until the pain subsides. Swimming or low-impact activities such as working out on an elliptical trainer are fine. Avoid squatting/kneeling as a bent knee causes extra pressure between the patella and femur. Avoid leg presses where you support your weight with a bent knee. Straight leg lifts are safer. As you get stronger, partial squats are ok.

Icing: Applying Ice to the knee, especially after exercise may reduce pain and swelling. Don't ice for over 20 minutes at a time to prevent frostbite. Elevating the knee above the level of the heart while icing helps in reducing the inflammation.

NSAIDs : non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Aspirin or Advil, as recommended by your doctor.

Exercise: Exercises, particularly exercises to strengthen and stretch the quadriceps (front thigh muscles) and hamstrings (muscles of the back of thigh). The exercises emphasized in the majority of cases are those that strengthen the quadriceps particularly the inner division of the quadriceps. This usually is very effective. Spending a few minutes, a couple of times a day on these muscles and gradually working up to 20 minutes per day are sometimes all that is needed. Be patient. It can take several weeks to notice an improvement.

Less mashing the pedals and more spinning will help...

A good knee thread yesterday...
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=523168

Check those IT bands for over tightness.