Management of the swollen knee

The primary-care physician plays a critical role in the diagnosis, initial treatment, and subsequent rehabilitation of many orthopedic conditions. The knee is the most frequently injured joint in sport medicine. The family physician must therefore be familiar with the etiology, cause, and natural history of problems related to the knee joint. The swollen knee is one of the most common ailments the family physician is asked to assess in his or her busy day-to-day practice of medicine. He or she must therefore remain abreast of the dynamic field of diagnostic procedures, treatments, and rehabilitative measures relating to many knee injuries. This paper deals with the more common causes of the acutely swollen knee, paying particular attention to the infected knee and the acute hemarthrosis. It should provide answers to most questions about diagnosis, initial treatment, and subsequent management of this problem.