Posterior Knee Pain and Its Causes: A Clinician's Guide to Expediting Diagnosis

Because posterior knee pain is a relatively uncommon patient complaint, its etiology is challenging and often elusive. The differential diagnosis for posterior knee pain can be vast, so clues for distinguishing causes are important. Many clinicians are unfamiliar with this complicated anatomic area and may not have a standard clinical evaluation to establish a cause of the patient's pain. Review of several known causes of knee pain can provide the examiner with a more comprehensive list of potential disorders to consider as differential diagnoses when patients present with posterior knee pain.