How to Diagnose a Knee Injury

Diagnosing a knee injury can be a bit of a task. Sometimes people think that knee pain signals the onset of an injury. While this is true in a lot of cases, sometimes knee pain is just knee pain. Just like there are various types of knee injuries, there are also various ways in which you can injure your knees.

Instructions

• 1

  Make sure you take an accurate history when attempting to diagnose a knee injury. Sometimes a knee injury can be diagnosed simply by knowing what you may have been doing at the time the injury occurred. You may need to write down the events that led up to the injury to make sure an accurate account is taken.

• 2

  Observe the person in various positions, if you are diagnosing someone else. Self-diagnosis is a little harder to do and you should have someone help you if you are trying to diagnose yourself. Have the person you are diagnosing lie down, stand up and walk. Pay attention to how much weight the person can put on the affected leg and whether there are audible pops or cracks when bending or straightening the knee.

• 3

  Have the person move the affected leg actively, by flexing and extending it. Ask the person to move the other leg in exactly the same manner. Compare the two, paying close attention to the range of motion of each knee. Look for signs of pain when the person moves the knee.

• 4

  Watch for signs of what is known as muscle guarding. When muscle guarding occurs, the muscle will contract because of pain, prohibiting the limb from moving any further. Check the front and sides of the knee for any visible injuries, which would include swelling or bruising.

• 5

  Consult a doctor if you suspect that there may be a problem with the knee. If there is no restriction in movement, extreme pain or swelling, then there's most likely no need to worry. However, if any of these sign are present, seek medical attention immediately.