Knee injury symptoms often include pain, swelling, stiffness, and warmth, with a feeling of instability or the knee "giving way," catching, or locking, sometimes accompanied by a popping sound at the time of injury. You might struggle to walk, bear weight, or fully bend/straighten the knee, with redness or bruising also possible.
Call your doctor if you:
Knee injuries can cause knee pain, swelling, and the feeling that your knee is going to give way (instability). Often it's the ligaments that are damaged. These are bands of tissue that hold your bones together.
Typically, you can still walk with knee cartilage damage, but it often becomes painful. Pain will likely increase going up or down stairs. If left untreated, the pain increases to the point where walking becomes progressively difficult.
Yes, knee pain is very common and considered normal during pregnancy due to weight gain, hormonal changes (like relaxin loosening ligaments), altered posture, and increased fluid retention causing swelling, all of which put extra stress on your joints and affect stability. While normal, it shouldn't be ignored, and strategies like supportive shoes, proper posture, gentle exercise, and consulting your doctor can help manage the discomfort.
“You should see a doctor if you're having persistent knee pain that's affecting your function or your ability to exercise, or if you're unable to manage the pain,” explains Dr. Sgrignoli. Another time you'd want to call your doctor is in a case of acute injury.
Many physicians advise pregnant women to sleep on their left side. Previous studies have linked back and right-side sleeping with a higher risk of stillbirth, reduced fetal growth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia, a life-threatening high blood pressure disorder that affects the mother.
You might develop the following signs and symptoms in your knee:
These symptoms often involve deep tenderness over the fracture, causing pain when touched. Leg muscle spasms may also develop around the knee as your body reacts to injury. However, with minor or hairline fractures, you may only feel slight pain or tenderness when pressing on the kneecap.
Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) – Valgus Stress Test
Wrap your knee.
Or use a knee brace for support. This is called compression. The wrap should be snug but not too tight. The right compression should control swelling of the knee.
The most common sprained knee causes include: Sports injuries. Falls. Repetitive strain injuries (overusing your knee during training, or performing a repetitive motion with your legs and knees for work, a sport or a hobby).
Symptoms of bone fractures include:
Identifying Knee Pain Red Flags
Severe swelling: If your swollen knee feels warm and looks red, it might be a condition requiring medical evaluation. Inability to bear weight: If you have difficulty putting weight on your knee, it may indicate a serious injury.
Although some symptoms are similar, there are major differences. Sprains cause moderate pain, swelling, and stiffness, but you can usually bear weight. Tears cause intense pain, serious swelling, and difficulty bending or straightening the knee. It might feel unstable or like it could give way.
Diagnosis
At first, you might barely notice the pain from a stress fracture. But it tends to become worse if you do more of an activity that puts stress on the cracked bone. The tender feeling often starts at a certain spot and gets better during rest. You also might have swelling around the painful area.
Stress fracture symptoms can include:
Symptoms
The McMurray test is a quick first step your provider can use to determine if anything in your knee is damaged. You'll probably still need other tests like an MRI to confirm that your meniscus is torn. Talk to your provider about which other tests and treatments you'll need.
Here are some symptoms to watch for:
Get advice from 111 now if:
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.
Your bump will not start showing until the second trimester and sleeping on your stomach is unlikely to be uncomfortable. In the third trimester, you will have a large bump and it is very unlikely that you would choose this position. However, if you do wake up on your stomach, don't worry, just roll onto your side.
This is because the growing uterus exerts pressure on the inferior vena cava when lying on your back, which can lead to decreased circulation and potential complications such as dizziness, breathlessness, or a drop in blood pressure, which could affect your baby's supply of nutrients and oxygen.
Five key warning signs during pregnancy needing immediate medical attention include vaginal bleeding, severe headaches with vision changes, decreased baby movement, severe abdominal pain/cramping, and signs of preterm labor like regular contractions or fluid leakage, as these can signal serious issues like miscarriage, preeclampsia, placental problems, or infection. Always contact your healthcare provider or seek emergency care for these symptoms.