What happens at a knee consultation
Most people arrive at a first knee appointment without knowing what the hour will involve, and that makes it harder to ask the questions they came with. This page sets out what happens, so that you can plan for it.
Nothing here is specific to a diagnosis. It describes the shape of the visit itself.
What to bring
Three things make the appointment more useful:
- Your referral letter, if you have one. You do not need a referral to be seen privately, but if a doctor, physiotherapist or emergency department has already written about your knee, it saves repeating work.
- Previous imaging. X-rays, MRI or ultrasound scans of the knee, and the written reports that came with them. The images themselves matter more than the report — bring the disc, the film or the access link.
- Your identification document.
If you have been keeping a note of what the knee does — when it gives way, when it swells, what you cannot do that you used to — bring that too. It is more useful than it sounds.
The assessment
A knee consultation has three parts, in this order.
The history. What happened, if there was a single incident, and what the knee has done since. What you need to get back to matters here as much as the injury does: the same finding can mean different things for someone returning to contact sport and for someone who wants to climb stairs without thinking about it.
The examination. Both knees are examined, not only the painful one. The uninjured side is the reference point for what normal looks like in your body, which is why it is worth wearing something that rolls above the knee, or bringing shorts.
Imaging, where it will change the decision. Not every knee needs a scan, and a scan that will not alter what happens next is not worth the time or the cost. Where imaging is needed and you have not already had it, it is arranged and the findings are discussed with you.
How a decision is reached
Dr Lai sets the options out as alternatives rather than as a ladder you are expected to climb.
The stage of the condition is established first — what is damaged, how far it has progressed and whether other structures in the knee are involved. The structures involved determine which options are relevant, and your activity requirements determine what the treatment has to achieve.
The relevant options are then set out with their expected recovery, their risks, and the alternative of doing nothing for now. A decision is made with you, and a point to review it is agreed before you leave.
You are not asked to decide on the day if you would rather not.
Questions worth asking
If you are not sure where to start, these four get most of the way there:
- What exactly is damaged, and how do you know?
- What happens if I do nothing for now?
- If I do this, what does recovery actually involve for me?
- When will we know whether it is working?
A good answer to the second question is as informative as a good answer to the first.
Making the appointment
Appointments are requested through the clinic rather than booked directly, so that a staff member can confirm a time with you. You send your contact details and the days that suit you — no medical details — and the clinic contacts you by whichever method you chose.
For anything urgent, do not wait for an appointment. Call 995 or go to the nearest emergency department.