There is a medical saying that 'common things occur commonly'. That is, the problem with you own knee is more likely to be a common disorder than a rare one.

First published in 2013, and reviewed August 2023 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

 

Common knee symptoms include:

 

Knee pain

It is important to highlight whether or not the symptom started after an injury or incident:

Knee pain coming on after injury -
  • if the knee pain was agonising initially after injury and is continuing - it might be a 'fracture' (bone break). A fall onto the knee may shatter the kneecap patellar fracture). Another important fracture is a 'tibial plateau fracture'.
  • if the knee pain was agonising initially after injury, was associated with a loud 'pop' and marked swelling, but the pain tended to ease later - consider that there might be a 'ligament tear', for example a cruciate ligament
  • if the knee pain was severe initially after injury, with continuing pain in the joint line - consider that you might have torn a meniscus
Knee pain coming on without any injury -
  • persistent pain over the front of knee coming on without any injury - may be due to a problem with the 'kneecap, hip or spine'
  • persistent pain at back of knee coming on without any injury - may be due to a 'Baker's cyst'
  • persistent gnawing pain, worse at night - could be 'arthritis'

 

Knee Noises

Knee noises at time of injury -
Knee noises during ordinary activities -
  • if crunchy noises on bending - it might be related to the 'kneecap'
  • if there is a pop in certain position - think 'normal, or old meniscus tear or discoid meniscus'

 

Knee Swelling

Knee swollen immediately after injury -
  • if extensive, tense, painful - there could be 'blood in the joint (haemarthrosis), with internal damage'
  • if localized, tense, painful - it could be a bursa bleed'
Knee swollen during ordinary activities -
  • if severe, painful - it could be 'rheumatoid condition or infection' (an emergency)
  • if persistent - it could be 'internal damage or arthritis'
  • if recurrent - think 'rheumatoid condition'

 

Knee Instability

Again it is important to remember any injury that preceded the instability -

Instability that followed an injury
  • if immediate, unable to continue activity - it might be a 'ligament tear' (collateral/cruciate)
Instability with no record of injury
  • if there is brief catching - it could be a 'kneecap subluxation' or a 'discoid meniscus'
  • if there is sudden 'giving way' - it could be a 'loose body' or a 'flap tear of the meniscus'

 

Knee Locking

Differentiate between true locking - where professional help is needed to get the knee straight again, and 'pseudolocking' where the person is able to do it themself -

  • if completely locked - it could be a 'bucket handle tear of meniscus, or a big loose body'
  • if intermittent pseudolocking - it could be a small 'loose body, plica, kneecap subluxation'

 

Knee Deformity

This is when the knee looks grossly abnormal, not just swollen -

  • if sudden painful deformity - it could be a 'kneecap dislocation'
  • if gross deformity following a serious injury - a 'total knee dislocation' may have occurred, with disruption of several key ligaments
  • if slow onset - it might be 'arthritis'

 

-