Knees are the most operated joint of the body. The knee joint consists of the 3 joints around the knee. The tibio-femoral joint, the patellofemoral joint and along the outer side the tibio-fibular joint. There are ligaments, meniscus and multiple bursae (cushion sacs, protecting over wearing of muscles) around this joint. Many of these could refer pain.
Examination of the knee needs to include all these structures and also sources of referred pain, such as the lumbar spine and muscular referral. Ranges at the joints above and below are also very important aspects of assessment and treatment.
Treatment often involves mobilisation, strengthening, stretching, soft tissue techniques, taping and electrotherapy along the required areas. As mentioned above dealing with the cause of the injury could very well reduce pain and also deal with the cause of the injury in the first place.
In recent studies, injuries such a meniscal tear if not accompanied with locking could have a good outcome with physiotherapy and also be comparable to a surgical outcome.