Seeing your GP

– where to start with your painful knees  

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Author: Ms Susan Edis, Practice Manager

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If your knees are causing you pain, it’s likely that the first thing you will do is make an appointment with your General Practitioner to try to identify why your knees are hurting and to put together a plan to resolve your pain.  It is useful at this appointment for you to identify when the pain started and whether there was an event or injury or whether the pain increased gradually.

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Your GP should be able to assist you with a trial of non operative optimisation to see if your symptoms improve with activity modification, weight loss if appropriate, natural anti inflammatories such as fish oil and krill or maybe a short course of a non steroidal anti inflammatory such as Mobic.  The GP may also suggest pain relief such as Panadol Osteo or something stronger if you are having trouble sleeping.

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If you have exhausted non operative measures and you want to explore the possibility of surgery, you will need to return to your GP to update them on your symptoms and ask for advice on taking the next step to a surgical solution.  Your GP should be able to provide you with a recommendation for a surgeon and are usually equally happy to refer you to a surgeon that has been recommended to you or who you have identified yourself.  A GP’s referral is required to see a specialist and is valid for 12 months from the date it is started (ie. so from the day you see the surgeon, even if it’s 6 weeks after you have received the referral).

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Your GP may also provide you with an x-ray and / or MRI referral and this is particularly useful for the specialist to confirm your pathology prior to an appointment being made.  GPs are an important step in the pathway to achieving pain free knees and are integral to your overall health needs.

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