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Inspection

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Initial inspection of the knee should note the following while the patient is standing:

  • view from in front, behind and whilst walking
  • gait
  • colouration: - bruising after trauma to soft tissue or ligaments - redness suggesting inflammation
  • deformity: - varus / valgus - fixed flexion / hyperextension
  • swelling: - synovial cavity and suprapatellar pouch swelling suggest effusion, haemarthrosis, pyarthrosis and space-occupying lesions - swelling beyond the joint cavity suggests infection, tumour or major injury
  • masses: - infra / pre-patellar bursitis - meniscal cyst in the joint line - diphysial aclasis at the joint margins
  • muscle wasting - compare the relaxed quadriceps
  • scars - previous injury or surgery
  • sinuses
  • shortening - see hip section
  • patella tracking

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