Knee Pain: Causes, Signs, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment, When To See Your Doctor?

When to see your doctor?

When to see your doctor? – Thelifetoday.com

Although most cases of knee pain are benign and can heal on their own, there are some red flags that you should look for and they include:

  • Knee pain that is associated with a mass: Although most masses associated with knee pain are those of the surrounding inflamed bursae -plural of bursa-, a mass associated with knee pain or tenderness should alert you to visit your physician.
  • Knee pain that is associated with an open wound: If you injured yourself and an open wound is present, visiting your doctor is a must to receive adequate wound care and avoid the complications of joint infection.
  • If it lasts for a long time: Usual inflammatory joint pain should resolve within a week or two. If it lasts for more, then it is unlikely to resolve on its own and a doctor’s consultation is a must.
  • If multiple joints are affected: This is especially true if you are a female in your twenties to forties since it is the age of autoimmune diseases. Visiting a doctor when you feel pain in multiple joints, particularly the small joints of your hands and feet can help diagnose and manage the condition as early as possible.
  • If your knee is giving way or locking: Those symptoms are of ligament or meniscal tears, and adequate medical treatment is a must in these cases to avoid chronic injury which is much harder to treat.
  • If you develop fever: Fever is a sign of systemic inflammation, and if you develop a fever with your knee pain, it can be a sign of infective arthritis. The other possibility is that it might be a part of an autoimmune condition. Both cases need professional medical care.
  • If you have severe bruising: Bruising is a common finding in knee pain. It is usually due to the trauma that caused knee pain in the first place. However, severe bruising can mean that a more severe injury has occurred and bleeding within the joint or bone fracture is likely.