Diagnosis for knee pain

General facts

This particular type of pain is regarded as a fairly common one and is suffered by many people, especially those older ones. When it comes to particular culprits, there has to be pointed out that there are quite a few of them. Therefore, the proper diagnosis plays a vital role in battling this problem and curing it with success, for this is the best way to discover the main cause of the inflammation under the influence of which the knee of a person has unfortunately fallen. The diagnosis itself plays an extremely important role in the entire matter, for it represents the initial step towards the healing of the knee. It is also important to establish the root of the pain because not doing so can have a long lasting unfavorable consequences for the person in question, leaving that person most likely to end up having problems with this condition till the rest of his/her life. But, since the initiative is only half way to resolving this problem, it is more often much easier in theory than it is in real life, since the manifestations of a knee pain are rather awkward in nature, to say the least. In case a person is suffering either from a fracture, or has torn his/her ligaments, then the matter of determining the cause is fairly uncomplicated. Unfortunately, only a small number of causes of knee pain are this transparent, and in order to determine the culprits accurately, examination that is more thorough needs to be performed. It is also necessary to pay attention to the onset and duration of the pain prior to the visit to a physician, as well as what kind of activity was in progress when the person in question suffered from a first bout of the knee pain.

Diagnosis

When the answers to the above questions have been acquired, a physician will commence with a second phase, which means that specific imaging tests such as the X-ray or a CT scan will be conducted in order to get a better picture of the condition of the knee, as well as to get a better insight into the underlying cause of the knee pain.

Physical manifestations

The knee pain is characterized by numerous accompanying manifestations such as bruising, inflammation and swelling. The presence of these manifestations is crucial for a doctor to be able to give a proper diagnosis and determine the proper treatment. In addition to this, a doctor will also conduct numerous physical tests that involve, among other things, knee and legs maneuvers that will enable him to determine if there is a damage to the anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, lateral collateral ligament, as well as to medial collateral ligament. But in many cases, due to the severe nature of the knee injury, these methods will only be appropriate for setting the basis. In order for the entire damage or injury related consequences to be discovered, a doctor will need to conduct an MRI.