Diagnosing Knee Problems

This knee pathway is part of work undertaken with Consultants, General Practitioners and Allied Health Professionals from UHCW NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital, South Warwickshire Hospital, and Coventry and Warwickshire PCT’s.

The aim of the pathway is to establish an appropriate and clinically relevant pathway to improve care for patients presenting to their general practitioner with a knee problem. The pathway directs patients into appropriate categories guiding specific early investigations and early treatment.


Important Statements

Before reading this document and before using the described pathway it is important to note the following points.

• There are many different types of knee problems and many options for management and treatment. It is impossible to cover every permutation. The pathway is designed to cover the majority of scenarios and management alternatives.

• The starting point is from the patient attending the General Practitioner with a knee problem and it is accepted that over time there may be other ways to enter the pathway.

• The end point of the pathway is treatment by a healthcare professional up to the point of assessment in secondary care.

• Getting the level of information correct for all practitioners is difficult and this pathway is intended for those with a specific interest in musculoskeletal problems and those that are specialists in other areas. There is understandably a broad spectrum of knowledge in the community relating to knee problems and the pathway allows for detailed investigation or early referral to the musculo-skeletal triage system