Knee Pain Differential Diagnoses

Differential Diagnoses

Anterior, focal or vague

• Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
• Knee Osteoarthritis
• Patellar Tendinopathy
• Plica Syndrome
• Quadriceps Tendinopathy
• Patellar Instability
• Hoffa's Fat Pad Inflammation
• Prepatellar Bursitis and Infrapatellar Bursitis
• Osgood-Schlatter Disease
• Sinding-Larsen-Johansson Disease
• Referred hip pain
• Avascular necrosis
• Patellar Stress Fractures
• Anterior cruciate ligament tear
• Osteochondral defect
• Posterior cruciate ligament tear
• Tibiofemoral dislocation
• Parameniscal cyst

Medial

• Knee Osteoarthritis
• Medial collateral ligament tear
• Medial meniscal tear
• Medial meniscal cyst
• Bakers cyst
• Medial Plica Syndrome
• Pes anserine bursitis/tendinopathy
• Inflammatory arthritis
• Osteochondral lesion medial femoral condyle (lateral aspect of medial epicondyle most common)
• Saphenous Nerve Entrapment
• Medial friction syndrome
• Medial collateral ligament bursitis
• Osteonecrosis
• Semimembranosus-Tibial Collateral Ligament Bursitis
• Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis
• Synovial Chondromatosis
• Referred Pain - Hip Joint, Lumbosacral spine pathology
• Neoplasm - soft tissue, intraosseous

Lateral

• Lateral meniscus tear
• Posterolateral corner injury
• Patellar dislocation or subluxation
• Lateral collateral ligament tear
• Iliotibial Band Syndrome
• Osteoarthritis exacerbation
• Osteochondral lesion lateral femoral condyle
• Popliteus Tendinopathy
• Biceps Femoris Tendinoapthy
• Semimembranosus Tendinopathy/bursitis
• Fibula head fracture
• Proximal Tibiofibular Joint Instability
• Snapping Biceps Femoris and Popliteus Tendons
• Peroneal Nerve Compression/Neuritis

Posterior

• Baker's or popliteal cyst
• Popliteus Tendinopathy
• Popliteal artery aneurysm
• Popliteal artery entrapment
• Posterior capsule tear
• Posterior cruciate ligament tear
• Tibiofemoral dislocation

Effusion present without trauma

• Osteochondral injury
• Osteoarthritis exacerbation
• Rheumatological disease (gout, RA, psoriatic arthritis)
• Septic arthritis