In many cases, when the knee pain occurs, it is quite acceptable to live with the degree of discomfort it is causing you. According to the director of sports rehabilitation and orthopedic, Dr. Robert Gotlin working at Beth Israel Medical center located in New York City, “Almost eighty percent of the patients having knee problems resolve the problems by themselves in a certain period of time without seeking medical help.” Although in some cases of knee problems, it is better to get medical advice than to wait for the problem to go away on its own. Any pain that disappears in a few days or does not respond to resting needs medical evaluation immediately. [1]
In addition, there are certain signs and symptoms which directly point out towards seeking of immediate medical attention for people having knee problems. The most commonly occurring symptoms which need medical assistance from a specialist include the inability to walk, swelling, immense pain, deformity, difficulty to bend, fever, and discomfort in walking. You might deal with slight pains and aches, particularly if you work throughout the day or you are living an active life. You will put off visiting a doctor for your knee problem and tough it out by living with discomfort. Most of the people decide to postpone the visit to a doctor because they want to wait for the pain or discomfort to subside on its own. [2]
If you are suffering from a knee problem, but unsure whether to go to a doctor or wait for the pain to go away, you might watch out the following is the list of warning signs which require immediate professional help to treat the knee problem:
Difficulty while walking
When the knee pain advances enough to cause inability to walk or give you a limp while walking, then you must visit a doctor. The knee problem which is avoiding you to walk might indicate a degenerative condition or a bone injury which needs a thorough medical assistance to resolve.