Common knee symptoms

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 at time of injury -

• a loud pop or crack at the time of injury - suggests a 'ligament or meniscus tear'
• a loud crack with severe pain and immediate swelling - might be a 'fracture' (bone break)
• a sharp noisy snap of structures usually at the outer side or back of the knee could be a discoid lateral meniscus, an intra-articular loose body, iliotibial band friction syndrome, or subluxations of the biceps femoris and popliteus tendons.

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 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'

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'

• 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'

• 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'