Fascinating Ben. Thanks.
So when I say outside the knee, to provide more clarity, I meant to the left and below the kneecap area - not under the kneecap itself. That said, based on what I've read about CP, it could be the same thing. Either way, a lot of what you've written here just makes good sense. I'll try the stretching exercises (which I never do) to strengthen hamstrings/quads, glucosamine. The knee warmers seem like a practical suggestion - I do a lot of cold weather biking here in Minnesota.) Ice makes sense as well in terms of repair and recovery. Not sure how Asprin or Ibuprofen would help recovery but I was advised that taking it during/before a ride could help which I did during the MS 150. Ice regimens have helped me in the past.
I returned from a broken ankle last year to doing endurance events and had no problems but perhaps that good fortune was a false flag,