If you answer yes to any of the following questions, click on the "Yes" in front of the question for information about how soon to see a health professional.
If you have any of the following symptoms, evaluate those symptoms
first.
| Yes | Do you think you have
broken your knee or pulled your kneecap out of
place? See
significance of a fracture or dislocation if you need
information to help you answer the questions below. Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms. Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Has your kneecap moved out of position (dislocated)? | | YES | Does your knee look twisted, bent out of shape, or out of
its normal position after a recent injury?
| | YES | Is your knee
cut
or scraped and you think you have broken or dislocated it? |
Call your health professional today if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Did your knee pop, move, or get pulled out of its normal
position and then return to its normal position? |
If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.
|
| Yes | Do you have knee
pain
or tenderness? See
significance of knee pain or tenderness if you need
information to help you answer the questions below. Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms. Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Do you have
severe pain? | | YES | Is a young child unable to walk or carefully protecting
his or her knee after a known or suspected injury? |
Call your health professional today if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Do you have pain with swelling or bruising that began
within 30 minutes of an injury? | | YES | Do you have
moderate pain that is getting worse? |
You may wait to see if the symptoms improve over the next 24 hours (or specified time period) if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Do you have
moderate pain that has not gotten better after 24
hours of home treatment? | | YES | Does moving or bending your knee still cause
mild pain after 48 hours of home treatment? |
You need an appointment within the next 1 to 2 weeks if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Have you had intermittent
mild pain without other symptoms for 2 weeks? |
If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.
|
| Yes | Is your knee, lower leg, or foot
pale, white, blue, or cold? See
significance of pale, white, blue, or cold skin if you
need information to help you answer the questions below. Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms. Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions.
If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.
|
| Yes | Do you have
numbness or tingling in your knee, lower leg, or
foot? See
significance of numbness or tingling if you need
information to help you answer the questions below. Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms. Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Do you have knee pain with
numbness or tingling in your knee, lower leg, or
foot? | | YES | Have you had knee pain with steady numbness or tingling
for 1 hour or longer? | | YES | Do you have new numbness or tingling, and the skin below
your knee is pale, white, blue, or cold? | | YES | Are you unable to move your knee normally (not because of
pain or because a splint is in the way)? |
Call your health professional today if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Is numbness or tingling getting worse? | | YES | Have you have steady numbness or tingling below your knee
for 1 hour or longer, but you do not have other symptoms? |
You may wait to see if the symptoms improve over the next 24 hours (or specified time period) if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Have you had numbness or tingling that comes and goes
during the past 24 hours? |
If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.
|
| Yes | Has your knee
given out, buckled, or felt unstable after an
injury? See
significance of a knee that buckles or feels unstable
if you need information to help you answer the questions
below. Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms. Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Do you have
severe pain? | | YES | Has a lot of swelling developed within 30 minutes of an
injury? | | YES | Does your knee look twisted or bent out of its normal
position?
| | YES | Is your knee so unstable that you cannot stand or walk
(bear weight)? |
Call your health professional today if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Did your knee suddenly give out or buckle, but it seems
all right now? |
You need an appointment within the next 1 to 2 weeks if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Has your knee felt unstable for a long time, but you have
never had it checked by a doctor? | | YES | Has your knee felt unstable for a long time, and the
problem has gotten worse since you had it checked by a doctor? |
If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.
|
| Yes | Do you have
swelling of your knee? See
significance of swelling if you need information to
help you answer the questions below. Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms. Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Is the skin below the swollen area cold or pale? |
Call your health professional today if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Has a lot of swelling or bruising developed within 30
minutes of an injury? |
You may wait to see if the symptoms improve over the next 24 hours (or specified time period) if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Have you had new swelling in the back of your knee for
longer than 48 hours? | | YES | Do you have moderate swelling after 48 hours of home
treatment? |
If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.
|
| Yes | Did you feel or hear a
snap, pop, or grinding in your knee? See
significance of a snap, pop, or grinding if you need
information to help you answer the questions below. Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms. Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Do you have
severe pain? | | YES | Has a lot of swelling developed within 30 minutes of an
injury? | | YES | Does your knee look twisted or bent out of its normal
position?
| | YES | Are you unable to stand or walk (bear weight)? |
Call your health professional today if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Did you feel or hear a snap, pop, or grinding, but you do
not have other symptoms? | | YES | Did you feel or hear a snap or pop, and your knee has
given out or feels like it will buckle? |
You need an appointment within the next 1 to 2 weeks if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Have you had a grinding sensation in your knee, but you
do not remember a specific injury? |
If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.
|
| Yes | Do you have knee
weakness, stiffness, decreased movement, or
locking? See
significance of weakness, stiffness, decreased movement, or
locking if you need information to help you answer the questions
below. Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms. Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Do you have
severe pain?
| | YES | Are you unable to straighten or bend your knee? | | YES | Are you unable to move your knee normally because of
muscle weakness (not just because of pain)? |
Call your health professional today if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Is a young child carefully protecting a knee or unable to
walk after a known or suspected injury? |
You may wait to see if the symptoms improve over the next 24 hours (or specified time period) if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Are you unable to move your knee normally or do you have
decreased strength after 48 hours of home treatment? |
You need an appointment within the next 1 to 2 weeks if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Does your knee lock from time to time, but it is not
locked now? |
If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.
|
| Yes | Do you think that a knee injury may have been caused by
abuse? See
significance of abuse if you need information to help
you answer the question below. Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms. Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Do you think that a knee injury may have been caused by
abuse? |
If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.
|
| Yes | Do you think you have
inflammation or infection in your knee? See
significance of inflammation or infection in a joint
if you need information to help you answer the questions
below. Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms. Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Do you have increased swelling, redness, or warmth around
your knee? | | YES | Do you have
severe pain with movement of your knee? | | YES | Do you have red streaks extending from your knee? | | YES | Does it hurt to touch your knee? | | YES | Do you have drainage of pus from your knee? | | YES | Do you know or think you have a fever? | | YES | Do you have
diabetes? | | YES | Do you have
peripheral arterial disease? | | YES | Do you have a disease or take a medicine that causes
problems with your
immune system? |
You may wait to see if the symptoms improve over the next 24 hours (or specified time period) if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Have you had mild pain and swelling with redness less
than 1 in. (2.5 cm) around the
injured area for 24 hours? | | YES | Have you had swollen lymph nodes in the groin for longer
than 48 hours? |
If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.
|
| Yes | Does your knee look
bruised after an injury? See
significance of bruising if you need information to
help you answer the questions below. Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms. Call your health professional today if you answer "Yes" to
the following question. | YES | Did a large (the size of the injured person's palm),
painful, swollen bruise develop within 30 minutes of an injury? |
You need an appointment within the next 1 to 2 weeks if you answer "Yes" to
any of the following questions. | YES | Do you think you bruise too easily? | | YES | Have bruises from an injury lasted longer than 2
weeks? |
If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.
|
If a visit to a health professional is not needed immediately, see the Home Treatment section for self-care information.
Last Updated:
September 19, 2007
