If you are experiencing extreme knee pain, swelling, limited mobility, discoloration, or other symptoms that interfere with your daily life, you should see a doctor. You should also see a doctor if you know you have injured your knee, like in a sports contact accident or a fall. Getting the correct diagnosis can help treat your pain and heal it.Other reasons to see a doctor include exquisite tenderness, inability to bear weight, a cold extremity, or numbness/tinging.If you don’t get the cause of the pain accurately diagnosed, you will only be treating the symptom and not the cause, so it will not heal.
 When you go to the doctor, you should be as specific with your symptoms as possible. Saying that you have swelling and pain refers to just about every knee problem you could have. Try to give your doctor information about any activities you were doing before the pain started and any other symptoms.Let your doctor know if your knee is locking or making popping noises. Tell the doctor if the kneecap was dislocated but moved back. Include any changes in color or size.
Tell your doctor where on your knee the pain is. The location of the pain can help them come to a diagnosis. Is it inside or outside of your knee? Is it in the center, in the front, or the back? Does it hurt just above or below the knee?
Tell your doctor about any sudden movements that caused knee pain, if you were doing a physical activity recently, or if you have fallen.
 Another way you can help your doctor is by describing your pain. This may take some consideration on your part. Do you consider the pain constant or only when you do certain things? Is the pain a dull ache or a sharp severe pain? Try to be specific because different types of pain can help your doctor narrow the cause.Tell your doctor when you feel the most pain. Tell your doctor if only certain activities cause the pain, or if it starts but gets better when you move certain ways.
Let your doctor know if you have done the RICE method - rest, ice, compression, elevation - and how that affected the pain.
Visit your doctor.
Detail your symptoms.
Describe your pain.
{"src": "wikihow-all_validation", "title": "How to Diagnose Knee Pain3"}