When to see your GP

You should see your GP if:

  • you cannot put weight on your knee at all
  • you have severe pain even when you're not putting weight on it, such as at night
  • your knee locks or painfully clicks (painless clicking is OK)
  • your knee keeps giving way
  • you're unable to fully bend or straighten your knee
  • your knee looks deformed
  • you have fever, redness or heat around the knee, or it's very swollen
  • you have pain, swelling, numbness ortingling of the calf beneath your affected knee
  • the pain doesn't start to improve within a few weeks or you havepain that's still severe aftera fewdays of caring for your knee at home

Your GP will do a careful examination of the knee and take your medical history. They may also arrange further tests such as blood tests , an X-ray or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to help identify the problem. In some cases, you may need to be referred to an orthopaedic specialist.


Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018