Clicking Knee

[apelike]

On 17/07/2020 at 22:14, Becky B said:

Exercise is the answer.  

 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteoarthritis/treatment/

 

Go and see a physio for advice!

I agree although that may take some time to get sorted. I suffer from osteoarthritis in the spine and neck and had some physio scheduled for April this year and that got cancelled for obvious reasons. I now take my son's dog out for a walk everyday but despite him being a bit big he does not pull on the lead at all, and do some simple stretching exercises which help a lot. If you do take any painkillers that are Ibuprofen based then also make sure you have some food with them otherwise they can cause stomach problems.

[DerbyTup]

On 01/07/2020 at 05:44, redruby said:

If you can, it’s well worth paying to see a physiotherapist privately for a consultation as this is their specialism and they will have time to do a thorough examination and give detailed advice. If that isn’t an option see a GP but if it was me I would try to go down the road of getting a referral to a physiotherapist rather just taking painkillers.

I think the GP is always the best first port of call.  They can refer you from there to a physio if required, or to hospital for further tests.  

 

The OP's condition sounds like a form of arthritis to me, but it could be something else.  Best to get it checked out first, then seek physio if physio is likely to help, but in some cases, like arthritis, it may be of little or no benefit.

[Becky B]

1 hour ago, DerbyTup said:

I think the GP is always the best first port of call.  They can refer you from there to a physio if required, or to hospital for further tests.  

 

The OP's condition sounds like a form of arthritis to me, but it could be something else.  Best to get it checked out first, then seek physio if physio is likely to help, but in some cases, like arthritis, it may be of little or no benefit.

Physios can be first contact practitioners and you may not need to see a GP at all, especially as you've had an x-ray already!

[DerbyTup]

16 hours ago, Becky B said:

Physios can be first contact practitioners and you may not need to see a GP at all, especially as you've had an x-ray already!

I was responding to the OP.

 

What he wrote was:

 

I am having discomfort with my right knee.

Both knees click when I bend, not everytime.  I have been taking ibruprofen for ten days, because if I go to see the doctor, I am sure that is what he will tell me to do.

So maybe I should go and see him/her next week. I am thinking its arthritis related. I believe they will actually see patients, in person.

I recall a work colleague had his kneecap scraped to be made smoother, not sure if it worked, or not.

I have been physically active in the past, but this certainly stops that, even the dog pulling on the lead can be uncomfortable. 

 

There's nothing here about him having had an x-ray already?   In any case, if you need an x-ray you'd need to be referred by a GP, unless you turned up at A&E (which is not a good idea) and they felt you needed one.

 

In this situation I would always suggest going to a GP first.  There are many causes of knee problems and an initial diagnosis from a GP is a sensible thing to do imo, if the cause is unknown.  I had some joint pain a while ago in my knee.  I went to my GP,  he referred me for an x-ray and the x-ray revealed minor wear and tear, possibly arthritic in nature.  Physiotherapy can do nothing about that - so I'd have been wasting time and money to have gone direct to a physio.  That's why my advice to the OP was to go to the GP first.  

 

I am not disputing that physios can be first contact practitioners. There are some situations where I've gone directly to a physio first.  Like muscle tears for example.  I've played a lot of sport in the past and also done a lot of cycling, so I have well developed calf-muscles, but I've also had 3 calf-muscle tears over the years and I know instantly what the problem is, I don't need a GP to diagnose me.  So on those occasions I've gone direct to a physio to start treatment.  Same with a back injury that I had some years ago by lifting in the gym.  I didn't need a GP to tell me what I'd done, it was obvious.  

 

When the cause of pain or injury is not so obvious and it could be multiple things, as in this case, I think the advice I gave for him to see his GP is the best advice.

 

I see also from the later threads that it looks like the GP diagnosed arthritis, which is what I suggested it may be, but it's good that he got it checked out.

 

 

Edited July 29, 2020 by DerbyTup

[Becky B]

44 minutes ago, DerbyTup said:

I was responding to the OP.

 

What he wrote was:

 

I am having discomfort with my right knee.

Both knees click when I bend, not everytime.  I have been taking ibruprofen for ten days, because if I go to see the doctor, I am sure that is what he will tell me to do.

So maybe I should go and see him/her next week. I am thinking its arthritis related. I believe they will actually see patients, in person.

I recall a work colleague had his kneecap scraped to be made smoother, not sure if it worked, or not.

I have been physically active in the past, but this certainly stops that, even the dog pulling on the lead can be uncomfortable. 

 

There's nothing here about him having had an x-ray already?   In any case, if you need an x-ray you'd need to be referred by a GP, unless you turned up at A&E (which is not a good idea) and they felt you needed one.

 

In this situation I would always suggest going to a GP first.  There are many causes of knee problems and an initial diagnosis from a GP is a sensible thing to do imo, if the cause is unknown.  I had some joint pain a while ago in my knee.  I went to my GP,  he referred me for an x-ray and the x-ray revealed minor wear and tear, possibly arthritic in nature.  Physiotherapy can do nothing about that - so I'd have been wasting time and money to have gone direct to a physio.  That's why my advice to the OP was to go to the GP first.  

 

I am not disputing that physios can be first contact practitioners. There are some situations where I've gone directly to a physio first.  Like muscle tears for example.  I've played a lot of sport in the past and also done a lot of cycling, so I have well developed calf-muscles, but I've also had 3 calf-muscle tears over the years and I know instantly what the problem is, I don't need a GP to diagnose me.  So on those occasions I've gone direct to a physio to start treatment.  Same with a back injury that I had some years ago by lifting in the gym.  I didn't need a GP to tell me what I'd done, it was obvious.  

 

When the cause of pain or injury is not so obvious and it could be multiple things, as in this case, I think the advice I gave for him to see his GP is the best advice.

 

I see also from the later threads that it looks like the GP diagnosed arthritis, which is what I suggested it may be, but it's good that he got it checked out.

 

 

Sorry, my response was a bit ambiguous - I was responding to both the OP and you in one post, and with other information from the thread!

Physios are able to diagnose knee problems, and refer on when appropriate.

Exercise is the recommendation for early states of arthritis (as I linked to earlier).

 

You can refer yourself to NHS physio as well - though to be fair, I'm not sure that's happening in Sheffield at the moment...

[DerbyTup]

On 29/07/2020 at 09:39, Becky B said:

Sorry, my response was a bit ambiguous - I was responding to both the OP and you in one post, and with other information from the thread!

Physios are able to diagnose knee problems, and refer on when appropriate.

Exercise is the recommendation for early states of arthritis (as I linked to earlier).

 

You can refer yourself to NHS physio as well - though to be fair, I'm not sure that's happening in Sheffield at the moment...

No problem.  I only saw the rest of the thread after I'd posted.  

 

I didn't realise you could refer yourself to an NHS physio - I thought you had to be referred by a GP?  It used to be that way before, but I do know that there have been lots of initiatives to reduce the burden on GP consultations so maybe this is to do with that?  The NHS website confirms what you are saying, but it says it depends on which part of the country you live in as to whether you can self-refer directly.  I can't see any further information specific to Sheffield on the CCG site - but if I need physio again I'll certainly look into it.  Thank you for the tip!  

 

 

 

 

[redruby]

I had a problem with my elbow after injuring it. The GP referred me to an Orthpaedic surgeon who was quite unpleasant and dismissive (for example saying ‘I don’t know what she’s doing here’ within my earshot and barely speaking to me and just muttering into a dictaphone).  He dismissed my problem as ‘wear and tear’. However, he did refer me to a physiotherapist who resolved this completely (with me undertaking daily physio exercises at home) and 6 years on I have no issues with ‘wear and tear’. I wish I’d just paid to see a physio privately in hindsight rather going to the GP, so that is my thinking behind seeing a physio in the first instance.

[DerbyTup]

That’s poor form on the Consultant’s part but he’s probably expressing his frustration at the GP for what he considered an unnecessary referral.  
 

I’d always see my GP first if it was something that wasn’t obvious and may have multiple different causes.   That’s really what they are there for.  They know a little about a lot.  But they could, or should, be able to refer or suggest your next best possible point of contact.  
 

They may also discover something else that is more serious.  A mate of mine presented with aches and pains in his bones.  He thought it was probably arthritis of some sort.  I suppose he could have just gone straight to a physio?  The GP performed some tests and it turned out to be something more serious.

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2020 by DerbyTup

[drolnhoj]

On 01/07/2020 at 05:44, redruby said:

If you can, it’s well worth paying to see a physiotherapist privately for a consultation as this is their specialism and they will have time to do a thorough examination and give detailed advice. If that isn’t an option see a GP but if it was me I would try to go down the road of getting a referral to a physiotherapist rather just taking painkillers.

My partner has been suffering with sciatica. She had a telephone call with the doctor who prescribed codeine and two other drugs. Wasn't getting any better so she paid to see a physio who said a rib had popped out in the back of her rib cage. He popped it back in and there has been an improvement. 

[redruby]

9 hours ago, DerbyTup said:

That’s poor form on the Consultant’s part but he’s probably expressing his frustration at the GP for what he considered an unnecessary referral.  
 

I’d always see my GP first if it was something that wasn’t obvious and may have multiple different causes.   That’s really what they are there for.  They know a little about a lot.  But they could, or should, be able to refer or suggest your next best possible point of contact.  
 

They may also discover something else that is more serious.  A mate of mine presented with aches and pains in his bones.  He thought it was probably arthritis of some sort.  I suppose he could have just gone straight to a physio?  The GP performed some tests and it turned out to be something more serious.

 

 

 

It rather depends on the nature of the problem. Having general ‘pains in bones’ could be caused by any number of conditions, and yes, should be assessed by a GP. Having a more specific issue with say, a knee, is where a physio might be a better option.