| | | | Adult with knee pain | | | | |
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Acute high energy trauma | | Discrete low energy trauma | | No trauma |
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Send to ED | | - Generalised pain: ACL tear, osteochondral defect, PCL tear
- Medial: MCL or medial meniscal tear
- Anterior: Patellar dislocation, subluxation, tendon tear, or quadriceps tendon tear
- Lateral: Lateral meniscus, posterior lateral corner, patellar dislocation/subluxation, LCL tear
- Posterior: Posterior capsule tear, PCL tear, tibiofemoral dislocation
| | Knee effusion present? |
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No effusion | | | | | | Effusion present | |
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| | | | | Pain worse with activity | | Pain not related to activity | |
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| | | | | Osteochondral injury or osteoarthritis exacerbation | | Rheumatological disease (gout, RA, psoriatic arthritis) or septic arthritis | |
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Maximum area of pain? | | Focal anterior | | - Patellar/quadriceps tendinopathy
- Plica
- Hoffa's fat pad
- Prepatellar/infrapatellar bursitis
- Osgood-schlatter
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| | | | | Vague or diffuse anterior | | - Patellofemoral pain
- OA exacerbation
- Chronic patellar subluxation
- Referred hip pain
- Avascular necrosis
- Patellar stress fracture
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| | | | | Medial | | - Degenerative meniscal tear
- Pes anserine bursitis
- OA exacerbation
- Saphenous nerve entrapment
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| | | | | Lateral | | - Iliotibial band
- Degenerative meniscal tear
- OA exacerbation
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| | | | | Posterior | | - Baker's cyst
- Popliteus tendinopathy
- Popliteal artery aneurysm
- Popliteal artery entrapment
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Last Fellow Review:
Last Updated:
31 July 2020 by Jeremy