another knee pain thread, sorry

For about a year, I've had pain in both knees above the kneecap whether I've been working out or not.  They both grind a little when I straighten my legs out or when squatting.  The pain isn't intense, just achy and gets better after a few minutes of activity.  It also feels better for a while after physical activity before becoming achy again.  Neither of them hurt when touched and they're not swollen at all.  Also wanted to add that most of my joints pop easily without me trying to do it.  That isn't painful at all though.

I've read about patellar tendonitis, but I've read the pain is usually below the kneecap which isn't the case for me.  I've also read about chondromalacia patella which sounds a little more familiar, but I'm still not sure.  Should I see how it progresses with training or should I high tail it to the doc and get checked out?

Edited by sarahswhere 2009-09-05 12:09 AM