The knee is a complex joint involving cartilage, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and surrounding tissues. Pain can stem from acute injury, sudden load changes, tendon irritation, patellofemoral pain, or osteoarthritis.
Pain & Stiffness
Swelling & Noises
Instability & Load
Discomfort around the front, inside, outside, or back of the knee, often alongside joint stiffness and reduced bending or straightening.
Localized joint swelling, clicking, grinding, or catching sensations during daily physical movement or exercise.
Sensations of giving way or instability, particularly when tackling stairs, squatting, running, or landing from a jump.
Thorough assessment and staged care
Assessment examines symptom onset, swelling, instability, past injuries, and training changes. Physical evaluations include movement analysis, strength testing, specific ligament and meniscal tests, plus functional tasks like squatting, stepping, and jumping to determine if conservative care or medical imaging is appropriate.
Care focuses on load management, manual therapy when suitable, progressive strengthening, and gym or running modifications. We guide a staged return to work, training, and sport, referring promptly for suspected fractures or significant ligament injuries.
What to expect
When to seek prompt care
Consultations review your history and physical goals through movement testing. Straightforward cases may include initial hands-on care, while complex presentations prioritise thorough assessment and medical referral.
Seek immediate medical review if you cannot bear weight, notice severe deformity or swelling following an injury, have a hot swollen joint with fever, or experience numbness, paleness, or coldness in the lower leg.
Frequently asked questions
Does clicking or grinding mean damage? No. Joint noises are common and usually harmless unless accompanied by pain, swelling, locking, lost movement, or acute injury.
Can I still squat with knee pain? Often yes, by adjusting load, depth, stance width, speed, or exercise variation while symptoms settle.