Below are described common knee and related problems by the area where the pain is felt: the knee in general, the kneecap in particular, the sides of the knee, and the front and back of the knee. Some of these are more common to children, adolescents, or young adults (avulsion fractures, bone and cartilage separation, growth plate inflammation, patellar-femoral syndrome) or older adults (localized arthritic condition) than to others.
The Snap, Crackle, and Pop of Knee Pain
Asking yourself the following questions, writing down your answers, and taking the record to the physician will jump-start diagnostic efforts
What about pain?
- Where do you feel the pain?
- When did it start?
- Does it recede? If so, when does it return?
- Does it worsen with certain movements?
- What relieves it? Medication? Rest?
- How do you characterize the pain? Numbness? Tingling?
- What degree of pain do you feel? Dull ache? Severe, sharp pain?
- Stiffness?
- Does the pain or stiffness limit how you move your knee?
Does your knee snap, crackle, or pop?
- Did you hear an audible pop when your knee first failed or hurt?
- When you move your leg, do you hear a grating or crunching?
- Do you hear clicking when you move your leg? Do you feel it?
- Where?
- Do you feel a grinding in your knee with movement?
- Does your knee lock? Catch? Give way unexpectedly?
How does your knee look?
- Is the kneecap noticeably misplaced?
- Is the knee red? Is it warm?
- Is it swollen? When did the swelling begin? Has the swelling increased or decreased? Did both knees swell simultaneously?
- Do red lines run up or down from your knee?
How does this problem relate to the rest of your life?
- Have you recently increased the amount of time spent exercising or extended your commitment to gardening or home repairs or upkeep?
- Have you changed your diet?
- Have you been sick?
- Did you recently buy new shoes? Have you been wearing very old shoes?
What′s your family history?
- Has anyone in your family had rheumatoid arthritis?
- Are hip joint or back problems present in your family?
This is a section from Dr. Jack E, Jensen’s book The One Stop Knee Shop. Read the next section Common Knee and Hamstring Problems.