history (knee joint)

Last reviewed 01/2018

The following topics are helpful when asking about knee problems:

• the patient's age and sex
• pain:
• site, radiation, quality, duration, exacerbating and relieving factors
• attempt to distinguish between mechanical pain - often well-localised, and inflammatory or degenerative pain which is more diffuse
• trauma:
• any history of previous injury to the affected knee
• note the degree of force and its direction
• stiffness
• swelling:
• particularly time of onset in relation to injury: haemarthroses occur immediately, whilst post traumatic effusions later
• locking:
• inability to fully extend the knee. May be due to the catching of a torn meniscus.
• ask the patient to show the position the knee is in when it locks
• ask how locking is produced and relieved
• giving way:
• when going down stairs or when jumping from a height, indicative of patellar dislocation, cruciate ligament tears, loss of full knee extension, and quadriceps wasting
• upon twisting or walking upon uneven ground, indicative of meniscal injuries
• deformity:
• genu varus or valgus
• functional impairment:
• stairs
• walking distance
• home circumstances