Knee Pain

Knee pain

Knee pain can often be treated at home. You should start to feel better in a few days.

How to ease knee pain and swelling

Try these things at first:

  • put as little weight as possible on your knee – for example, avoid standing for a long time
  • use an ice pack (or bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel) on your knee for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours
  • take paracetamol

Non-urgent advice:

  • knee pain does not improve within a few weeks
  • your knee locks, painfully clicks or gives way – painless clicking is normal

Urgent advice:

  • your knee is very painful
  • you cannot move your knee or put any weight on it
  • your knee is badly swollen or has changed shape
  • you have a very high temperature, feel hot and shivery, and have redness or heat around your knee – this can be a sign of infection

Treatment from a Doctor

A doctor can suggest treatment based on what's causing your knee pain.

They might:

  • prescribe medicine or physiotherapy
  • refer you to hospital for a scan or specialist treatment (for example, surgery)

Common causes of knee pain

Knee pain can be a symptom of many different conditions.

This information might give you an idea of what the cause might be. But do not self-diagnose