Body region
Understanding and assessing knee symptoms
The knee supports us when walking, climbing stairs and standing up. The joint surfaces, menisci, ligaments, muscles and tendons work together to do this. Symptoms can therefore involve different structures.
When is urgent assessment important?
Very severe pain, marked swelling or an inability to bear weight on the knee require urgent medical assessment. You can find guidance under ‘Acute symptoms and emergencies’.
Open individual sections or all the details on this page.
Understanding
My knee hurts
Would you like to understand what might be causing your symptoms and when an examination is important? Start with ‘Knee pain’.
Your knee: from symptoms to relevant information
Pain, swelling and a feeling of instability can have different causes. You may already recognise a term from your report. Or you may first want to understand what could explain a change. The following pages help you gather questions for your examination. They do not replace a diagnosis based on examination and the course of your symptoms.
Further information
I have been diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis
Here you will find information about the diagnosis, non-surgical treatment options and questions to raise during your consultation.
My report mentions meniscal damage
Find out what this finding means and why its significance needs to be assessed alongside your symptoms and examination.
What happens next in the assessment?
The first steps are a discussion and examination. Further investigations are chosen to address the specific question. Our X-ray and ultrasound pages explain what these examinations can show.
Your next step
