Knee Pain Diagnosis Chart

A knee pain diagnosis chart is a simple but powerful way to narrow down what’s causing your knee pain based on where the pain is felt.

Different structures around the knee — tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bursae and bones — tend to cause pain in predictable locations.

By matching the location of your knee pain with your symptoms, you can get a much clearer idea of what’s going on and what to do next.

How to Use a Knee Pain Diagnosis Chart

Follow these three steps:

1. Identify the exact location of your pain
2. Note your key symptoms (swelling, locking, instability, stiffness)
3. Match them to the chart below

Pain location alone is often enough to narrow things down to 2–3 likely conditions, which can then be confirmed with a clinical assessment if needed.

We have created two detailed knee pain location charts to help you pinpoint the cause of your pain more accurately:

• Front Knee Pain Location Chart: pain at the front and sides of the knee
• Posterior Knee Pain Location Chart: pain and swelling at the back of the knee and down into the calf

If your pain is further down your leg towards your ankle or foot, check out this Foot Pain Diagram, or if it is further up your leg, have a look at our Hip Pain Location Diagrams.

Front Knee Pain Diagnosis Chart

This first knee pain diagnosis chart focuses on pain at the front and sides of the knee. 

A. Pain Above the Knee Cap

Pain above the knee cap in the lower thigh is usually caused by:

• Quadriceps Tendonitis: Damage to the quadriceps tendon causing pain above the kneecap that is worse with activity. 
  
• Quads Tendon Rupture: A partial or complete tear of the quads tendon. A rare, but serious injury. 
  
• Supapatellar Bursitis: inflammation of the causing pain and a soft pocket of swelling above the knee. 

If your pain is further up the leg, check out the upper thigh pain article.

B. Outer Knee Pain

Lateral knee pain on the outer side of the knee may be caused by:

• Iliotibial Band Syndrome: Most common. Irritation of the thick band on the outer leg. Pain may be extend up towards the hip on the outer thigh. 
  
• Lateral Meniscus Tear: Damage to the lateral portion on the knee cartilage. Can make it difficult to straighten the knee. 
  
• Lateral Collateral Ligament Injury: Overstretching and tearing of the LCL usually from awkward knee twisting or a large force through the side of the knee. 
  
• Dislocated Patella: Where the kneecap shifts out of the patella groove causing an obvious deformity. 

If your pain is further up the leg, check out the outer thigh pain article.

C. Pain At The Kneecap 

Front knee pain around the knee cap may be caused by:

• Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: Most common. Caused by a problem with how the kneecap moves. 
  
• Chondromalacia Patella: Damage to the cartilage on the back of the kneecap. Typically affects healthy people under the age of 40. 
  
• Arthritis: Wear and tear or degeneration of the knee bones and cartilage. Typically affects over the 60's. 
  
• Housemaids Knee: Inflammation of the prepatellar bursa, often causing localised swelling at the front of the knee. Can occur at any age, most commonly in people who spend lots of time kneeling. 
  
• Bipartite Patella: Where the kneecap bone is in two pieces, having failed to fuse during childhood.

D. Inner Knee Pain

Medial knee pain on the inner side of the knee may be caused by:

• Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Sprain:Most Common. Overstretching or tear of the MCL from knee twisting injury. Typically affects the under 50's. 
  
• Medial Meniscus Tear: Damage to the knee cartilage either through injury (typically under 50's) or wear and tear (typically over 50's). Often associated with knee locking and swelling. 
  
• Arthritis: Gradual onset of knee pain due to wear and tear of the knee cartilage and bones. Typically affects the over 60's and more common on inner side of the knee than the outer. 

If your pain is further up the leg, check out the inner thigh pain article.

E. Medial Pain Below The Knee 

Medial knee pain just below the knee is usually caused by:

• Medial Plica Syndrome: Inflammation of the synovial membrane in the knee joint. Often associated with knee clicking.
  
• Pes Anserine Bursitis: Inflammation of the pes anserine bursa. Pain felt approximately 2 inches below the knee, often associated with a pocket of swelling. 

F. Pain Below The Knee 

Pain below the knee at the front of the shin may be caused by:

• Patellar Tendonitis: Most common. Damage to the patellar tendon, thickening of the tendon, pain worse with repetitive activities e.g. jumping. 
  
• Osgood Schlatters Disease: Affects adolescents and children typically after a growth spurt. Pain is felt at the top of the shin bone and there is often a hard bony lump.
  
• Infrapatellar Bursitis: Inflammation and swelling of the bursa forming a squashy lump just below the kneecap. 
  
• Osteochondritis Dissecans: Decreased blood flow to the knee bones leads to degeneration, thinning and tearing of the knee bones and cartilage. Most common between the ages of 10-20. 
  
• Sinding-Larsen-Johansson (SLJ) Disease: Affects adolescents and children. Pain similar to OSD but slightly higher, just below the kneecap. 

Posterior Knee Pain Location Chart

Our second knee pain diagnosis chart focuses on the causes of pain at the back of the knee.

A. Pain Behind The Knee 

Pain behind the knee may be caused by:

• Bakers Cyst: Most common cause of pain and swelling behind the knee. Inflammation of the popliteal bursa. 
  
• Arthritis: Degeneration of the knee cartilage and bones causing pain and stiffness, especially in the morning.
  
• ACL Tear: Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament from twisting or force through the knee. Usually associated with knee instability. 
  
• PCL Tear: Injury to the posterior cruciate ligament - less common than ACL Injury. Typically injured in RTA, fall or sports. 
  
• Hyperextension Injury: Where the knee bends too far backwards causing pain, swelling and restricted movement.  

B. Posterolateral Knee Pain

Outer knee pain at the back of the knee is most typically due to:

• Biceps Femoris Tendinopathy: Inflammation, degeneration or a tear in biceps femoris, one of the hamstrings muscles. Common problem for runners, frequently misdiagnosed as ITBS. 

C. Posteromedial Knee Pain 

Inner knee pain at the back of the knee is usually caused by:

• Hamstring Tendinopathy: Inflammation or degeneration of the two hamstring muscles on the inner side of the knee (semimembranosus or semitendinosus) from repetitive overuse. Usually affects runners, cyclists, footballers or climbers. 

D. Lateral Pain Below The Knee 

Pain on the outer side of the calf just below the knee is usually due to:

• Lateral Head of Gastrocnemius Injury: Tear of the lateral head of the superficial calf muscle. Rarely injured in isolation, usually associated with ligaments and/or cartilage damage.

E. Medial Pain Below The Knee

Pain on the inner side of the calf just below the knee is usually due to:

• Medial Head of Gastrocnemius Injury: Tear of the medial head of the superficial calf muscle. Usually injured when the pushing off the foot whilst the knee is straight and the ankle is flexed. 

F. Pain Below The Knee

Calf pain below the back of the knee may be caused by:

• Calf Muscle Cramps: Sudden spasming of the calf muscles. May be extremely painful but usually settles within a few minutes. 
  
• Calf Tear: Overstretching or tearing of one of the calf muscles, usually during sports. Typically instant pain with immediate swelling and bruising. 
  
• DVT: A blood clot in one of the deep leg veins. Associated with intense pain, swelling, redness, heat and tenderness. A DVT is a medical emergency and requires immediate medical intervention.

G. Posterior Pain Above The Knee

Pain in the back of the thigh just above the knee is usually caused by:

• Hamstring Strain/Tear: Partila or complete tear of one of the hamstring muscles/tendons anywhere in the back of the thigh. 

Hopefully, having looked at the knee pain diagnosis chart information here, you are on your way to working out what is wrong with your knee, now it's a case of fixing it!

Understanding Knee Pain Diagnosis

Understanding what is causing your knee pain is the first, crucial step to overcoming knee pain. The knee pain diagnosis chart options here are very useful visual tools to help you work out what is wrong.

You can find out loads more about these conditions, the causes, symptoms and treatment options, by using the links above. Alternatively, if you want some more guidance, visit the knee pain diagnosis section. 

Some useful articles that go alongside our knee pain diagnosis charts are:

• Anterior Knee Pain: front
• Lateral Knee Pain: outer side
• Medial Knee Pain: inner side
• Posterior Knee Pain: behind the knee
• Pain Above Knee: top of knee and lower thigh
• Pain Below Knee: under the knee and in the shin/calf
• Patellar Pain: kneecap
• Calf Pain: lower leg

When To See a Doctor for Knee Pain

A knee pain diagnosis chart can be very helpful for narrowing down the likely cause of your symptoms, but there are times when you should not rely on self-diagnosis alone.

You should see a doctor, physiotherapist or other qualified healthcare professional if your knee pain:

Needs Urgent Medical Attention

Seek immediate medical help if you have:

• Sudden, severe knee pain after an injury
• Inability to weight-bear or straighten the knee
• A visibly deformed knee or kneecap
• Rapid swelling, redness, heat or fever
• Calf pain with swelling, warmth or redness (possible DVT)

These symptoms may indicate a fracture, ligament rupture, infection or blood clot, all of which require urgent assessment.

Should Be Assessed But Is Not An Emergency

Arrange a medical review if:

• Knee pain has not improved after 2–3 weeks
• Pain keeps returning despite rest or treatment
• Your knee feels unstable, gives way or locks
• Swelling persists or keeps coming back
• Pain is affecting sleep, work or daily activities

Persistent symptoms often indicate an underlying problem such as tendon injury, cartilage damage or arthritis that benefits from targeted treatment.

Special Situations

You should also seek medical advice if:

• Knee pain occurs in children or adolescents without a clear injury
• Pain develops without any obvious cause
• You have a history of arthritis, gout, inflammatory conditions or previous knee surgery
• Knee pain is associated with unexplained weight loss or feeling generally unwell

Early assessment often leads to faster recovery and better long-term outcomes.

Knee Pain Diagnosis FAQs

Let's have a look at some of the most frequently asked questions about knee pain diagnosis.

What Else Can Help?

These knee pain diagnosis charts are a great place to start when it comes to working out what is wrong with your knee, but what do you then do about it? You'll find loads of great information about each of these knee problems, and more, using the links above.

Alternative, following multiple requests from our readers, we have recently published our second book, "Beat Knee Pain: Take Back Control".

It tells you everything you need to know to help you work out what is wrong with your knee and gives you loads of great advice on how to get back to doing what you love. You'll find all the information from this site and loads more. We know many people prefer having the information is book form so they can navigate through easily, so do check it out.

Beat Knee Pain: Take Back Control has an average rating of 4.6/5 and is ranked the #2 Best Seller in Orthopedics on Amazon*. 

*Ranked #2 Best Seller in Orthopedics (Kindle Store) on Amazon.com in October 2021

Knee pain location charts are just the start. Now that you've got a good idea what is going on, it's time to start fixing it so you can get back to the things you love.

Related Articles

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References

American Family Physician Journal. Evaluation of patients presenting with knee pain: Part II. Differential diagnosis. September 2003

British Medical Journal Best Practice. Assessment of Knee Injury. June 2018

Medscape. Evaluating Knee Pain: The Latest in Diagnosis and Management. June 2017

National Institute for Healthcare & Excellence (NICE). Knee Pain - Assessment. August 2022

Last Updated: January 13th, 2026
Next Review Due: January 13th, 2026