Differential diagnosis for knee pain/mass in the knee? Detailed description is included below.?
- Female, about 20 years old, slightly overweight, otherwise healthy
- Pain has lasted about 5-6 weeks.
- Pain is worst when sitting and going up/down stairs.
- Pain makes sleeping difficult and causes waking during the night.
- A mass formed over the period of about an hour, pain soon followed.
- Mass has slowly increased in size since it originally formed.
- No current trauma to or overuse of the knee.
- Undiagnosed trauma to the same area of the knee about 4 years ago - no symptoms since.
- Mass is on the anterior/proximal/medial surface of the left knee.
- Swelling is present around the mass - slightly above the mass, to either side, and above the patella.
- No heat or redness above the mass.
- Mass is most prominent when knee is bent.
- Pain is in a circle around but not including the patella, and is worst at the site of the mass and diagonal from the mass (anterior/lateral/distal surface).
- Pain is stabbing at the site of the mass, with lots of pressure through the entire knee.
- Mass is about 4cm x 8cm.
- Mass is rubbery and hard - not fluid.
- Mass can be moved about 1-2cm in each direction.
- Xrays showed no abnormal findings. (Arthritis was considered/ruled out; history of mild osteoarthritis in the hips due to bilateral congenital hip dysplasia - corrected by a brace worn until age 2).
- Physical therapy has had no effect, pain level and mass size have both slightly increased
- NSAIDs have not effected swelling or pain.
- Without weight, range of motion is mostly normal.
- Inability to squat.
- No unusual anterior/posterior drawer signs.
Public Comments
1. A meniscus tear, gouty arthritis, a bursa - those are my guesses
