Knee Pain Diagnosis

Overview

Numerous potential causes exist for pain in your knees, as well as different tests that your doctor may perform to make an accurate diagnosis. Although knee pain is common, the cause can range from an injury to an underlying medical condition. The tests also range in complexity and purpose. If you have knee pain that won’t go away, see your doctor for a diagnosis of the problem.

Causes

Typically, knee pain is caused by some kind of injury or a medical condition. Medical conditions like gout or pseudogout, or rheumatoid arthritis, septic arthritis or osteoarthritis, can cause knee pain, MayoClinic.com notes. Osgood-Schlatter disease and disorders involving your ligaments or kneecap alignment can also cause knee pain. Injuries like sprains, strains and fractures, as well as kneecap or joint dislocation can lead to chronic knee pain, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Knee pain can arise from damage to your cartilage like a torn meniscus, knee bursitis, patellar tendinitis or injury to your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Identification

In some cases, your doctor can diagnose or narrow down the cause of your knee problem by determining exactly where the pain is occurring. For example, pain that occurs on the sides of your knee can be caused by meniscus tears, arthritis or collateral ligament injuries, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Bursitis and conditions that degrade the patella cartilage, such as osteochondritis dissecans, often cause pain centralized to the front of your knee, while arthritis and Baker’s cysts usually cause pain in the back of your knee.

Tests

Unless you have an obvious injury or chronic condition, your doctor may perform certain tests to diagnose the cause of your knee pain. These tests usually include X-rays, ultrasounds and blood tests, MayoClinic.com says. You might also require a magnetic resonance imaging — MRI — or a computerized tomography — CT — scan to diagnose the knee problem. If your physician thinks that you might have an infection or type of gout that’s causing your knee pain, you might have the fluid from your knee joint tested. X-rays are typically used to diagnose knee pain due to bone fractures or injuries, while ultrasounds, CT scans and MRIs are used to detect problems with the ligaments, muscles, cartilage and tendons around your knees. These tests are important to pinpointing the exact problem causing your knee pain, because knee injuries are common due to normal use, sports and other daily activities, notes the University of Michigan Health System.

Significance

Although medical conditions like arthritis can cause chronic, long-term knee pain, injuries to your knees can also lead to chronic pain if left untreated, says the University of Michigan Health System. You can also become predisposed to additional knee injuries if you don’t seek proper medical attention for a sprain or strain, MayoClinic.com cautions. Also, playing certain sports like skiing, being obese and having abnormalities of your knees or legs can increase your risks for knee pain.

Warning

Although your knee pain might not be serious or chronic, you should seek medical attention to diagnose the cause of the pain. If you don’t have your knee pain treated, you can suffer persistent, intensifying pain and loss of mobility or disability, MayoClinic.com warns. Depending on your age, health status and knee-pain severity, a health-care professional may recommend that you reduce your physical activity, take certain medications or even undergo surgery, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Testing and an accurate diagnosis will indicate the appropriate treatment to resolve your knee pain.