Diagnosis of the knee joint after the first instance of knee pain is important. Along with general and physical examination, the functional evaluation will be performed. A functional evaluation consists of bending, range of motion, stability of the knee joint, swelling, or tenderness. The physician will make a final diagnosis after comparing the results of your affected knee with that of unaffected knee. The physician may ask you to get an x-ray of the knee to confirm any degenerative changes are there in the cartilage. The medicine prescription follows this evaluation.
Also, the soft tissues are not visible on an x-ray, so your physician may prescribe an MRI for looking into the ligament tear or cartilage or muscle injuries. Blood tests may be prescribed in case there is a suspicion of gout, rheumatoid arthritis, or any other medical condition.
For instance, there is suspicion of septic arthritis, then a small sample of the fluid is drained (arthrocentesis) from the site of swelling and is sent for analysis. In some cases, to have a distinction between the type of arthritis, this method may be adopted.
Tags: Knee pain, Knee pain diagnosis
