II. Precautions: Pitfalls

  1. Consider referred pain (including Neuropathy or radiculopathy)
    1. Referred Hip Pain in children (e.g. SCFE, Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease)
    2. Lumbar Radiculopathy
    3. Sacroiliitis
    4. Proximal Musculoskeletal Injury (e.g. non-displaced Hip Fracture may present with Knee Pain)
  2. Consider malignancy
    1. Osteosarcoma
    2. Chondrosarcoma
    3. Ewing Sarcoma

IV. Causes: Adult Knee Pain by frequency

V. Causes: Pain by location

  1. Anterior Knee Pain
    1. Patellar Subluxation or instability
    2. Osgood Schlatter or Tibial Apophysitis (adolescents)
    3. Sinding-Larsen-Johansson Syndrome or Distal Patellar Apophysitis (adolescents)
    4. Jumper's Knee
    5. Patellofemoral Syndrome
    6. Chondromalacia Patellae
    7. Prepatellar Bursitis
    8. Patellofemoral Osteoarthritis
    9. Hoffa Disease
      1. Infrapatella fat pad tenderness
    10. Osteochondritis Dissecans
    11. Patella Stress Fracture
  2. Posterior Knee Pain
    1. Baker's Cyst
    2. Posterior Cruciate Ligament Tear
    3. Tear of posterior aspect of meniscus
  3. Medial Knee Pain
    1. Medial Collateral Ligament Tear
    2. Medial Meniscus Tear
    3. Pes Anserine Bursitis
    4. Plica Syndrome
    5. Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (referred pain from hip in adolescents)
  4. Lateral Knee Pain
    1. Knee Lateral Collateral Ligament Tear
    2. Lateral Meniscus Tear
    3. Iliotibial Band Syndrome
  5. Diffuse, atraumatic Knee Pain
    1. See Monoarthritis or Polyarthritis
    2. Osteoarthritis (especially over age 50 years old)
    3. Septic Joint
    4. Acute Gouty Arthritis
    5. Rheumatoid Arthritis

VIII. Imaging: Xray indications

Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)

Related Studies

Ontology: Knee pain (C0231749)

Concepts Sign or Symptom (T184)
ICD10 M25.569 , M25.56
SnomedCT 390076006, 202488008, 389343009, 156599003, 202474009, 30989003
English Knee(s) Pain, Arthralgias (knees), Arthralgia (knee), Knee arthralgia, localized knee joint pain, localized knee joint pain (symptom), knee joint pain, knee pain, Aching in knees, Knee pain, Pain in knee, Pain knee, Painful knee, Pain in unspecified knee, aching knees, knees aching, aching knee, knee arthralgia, Pain;musculoskeletal;knee, Pain;knee, knee pains, painful knee, gonalgia, pain in knee, arthralgia - knee / patella / tibia / fibula, arthralgia of the knee, arthralgia of the knee (diagnosis), Knee joint pain (finding), Gonalgia, Arthralgia of knee, Knee joint pain, Knee pain (finding), knee; joint pain, knee; pain, joint, musculoskeletal knee pain
Dutch pijnlijke knie, gonalgie, pijnlijke knieën, pijn knie, pijn in knie, kniepijn, knie; gewrichtspijn, knie; pijn, gewricht
French Douleur du genou, Endolorissement des genoux, Genou douloureux, Douleur dans le genou, Gonalgie
German schmerzhaftes Knie, Schmerzen in den Knien, Gonalgie, Knieschmerz, Schmerz im Knie, Schmerz Knie
Italian Dolore al ginocchio, Ginocchio dolorante, Gonalgia, Dolore alle ginocchia
Portuguese Dor no joelho, Joelho doloroso, Gonalgia, Moinha nos joelhos
Spanish Dolor en rodilla, Gonalgia, Dolor de rodilla, Rodillas doloridas, Rodilla dolorosas, dolor de rodillas, gonalgia (hallazgo), gonalgia
Japanese 膝痛, 膝関節痛, シツツウ, ヒザカンセツツウ, シッツウ, シツカンセツツウ, ヒザツウ
Czech Bolest kolene, Pobolívání v kolenou, Bolestivé koleno, Bolest v koleni, Gonalgie
Hungarian Fájdalom a térdben, Gonalgia, Fájdalmas térd, Fájás a térdekben, Térdfájdalom