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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by first seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner. However, in some cases when you call to set up an appointment, you may be referred immediately to an orthopedist or a sports medicine specialist.
Because appointments can be brief and there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what you can expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment. Also, try to keep track of when your symptoms occur. Are there any particular activities that make them worse, such as climbing stairs? Or, is your pain worse at particular times of the day?
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes. Be sure to let your doctor know about any recent falls or accidents.
- Make a list of any medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you're taking.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions will help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For knee pain, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What's causing my symptoms?
- Are there any other possible causes for my symptoms?
- What kinds of tests do I need? Do I need to do any special preparation for these tests?
- Is my condition likely temporary or chronic?
- What treatments are available?
- What is the best course of action in your opinion?
- Do I need to limit my activity or change sports?
- Should I see a specialist? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover seeing a specialist?
- Is there a generic alternative to the medicine you're prescribing me?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment if you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to spend more time on. Your doctor may ask:
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Have your symptoms been continuous, or occasional?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
- Do you exercise or play sports?
- Do you experience any instability of the knee, or locking?
- Are you experiencing symptoms in other areas, or just in your knee?
- Have you ever had knee pain before? If yes, do you know what the cause was?
What you can do in the meantime
Most knee injuries respond well to rest. If you have swelling, icing the area for about 20 minutes a few times daily can help to keep inflammation down. It's also a good idea to keep your leg elevated and to wrap your knee with a bandage while you're waiting to see your doctor. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen) can help relieve your pain.
