Why does my knee click?

Symptoms:

You’ve got a swollen, painful knee which occasionally clicks when you bend or straighten it, causing difficulty in walking and you’re overweight.

Your knee is stiff and clicks occasionally, you have a past history of a knee injury, possibly sporting, or a fracture involving the knee joint.

Your knee is very painful and sometimes locks as well as clicks, making walking and weightbearing uncomfortable.

It could be:

Osteoarthritis,

where the cartilage on the ends of the bones becomes worn, rough and inflamed so it can’t move smoothly, causing pain and swelling.

Arthritis of the joint as a result of your past injury.

A tear in one of the cartilages inside the knee joint.

Stop it:

Take painkillers, see your doctor for X-rays and treatment. Lose weight.

Special support bandages sometimes help, as does physiotherapy. See your doctor who will refer you to a specialist in physical medicine.

Once a cartilage is torn, healing is difficult, so you may need surgery to remove it. Ask your doctor for referral to an orthopaedic surgeon if appropriate.