03 / Understand the area
Inside of the knee
The inner knee may hurt after a twist or become uncomfortable gradually. Those are different starting points for an assessment.
An educational guide that covers the left and right sides alike. Where it hurts is a useful clue, but only a clue.
A useful starting point
What this area can tell you.
Joint surfaces, ligaments and nearby tendons all share this area, and where it hurts can't identify a meniscus tear or prove osteoarthritis. If there was an injury, how it happened matters, along with how fast it swelled and if the knee truly locks or gives way. With no clear injury, stiffness that builds slowly and limits on how far you can walk are the useful details. The exam helps decide if the next step is rehab, imaging, or a medical or orthopedic opinion.
Notice the pattern
Three questions to bring with you.
You don't need to know what it is before you come in. These are details that help when you tell us what you're feeling.
- Did a twist or impact start the pain, or has it built up gradually?
- Did swelling show up right after an injury, later that day, or with no obvious trigger?
- Does the knee lock or give way, and how has the distance you can walk comfortably changed?
When to get help sooner
An acutely swollen knee that cannot bear weight or straighten needs urgent assessment. Redness and warmth with fever need urgent medical care; please don't wait for a routine musculoskeletal visit with us.
Follow the connection
Possible explanations. Better questions.
These guides cover conditions and patterns that may overlap with this area. Think of them as a place to start our conversation: no body map can tell you which one, if any, you have.
What the studies found, and where they stop
How the research fits this area.
The trial applies to diagnosed knee osteoarthritis. What it found about physical therapy doesn't tell anyone how to diagnose or treat a new ligament injury, a locked knee, or every other source of inner knee pain.
How we select and explain sources ↗Follow the evidence
Research, with context.
Selected published sources behind what we've written, each with what it found and what it can't tell us. We give you both halves because no paper can diagnose you or predict how your own care will go.
Physical Therapy versus Glucocorticoid Injection for Osteoarthritis of the Knee
156 patients with knee osteoarthritis in the US military health system.
What it foundPatients assigned physical therapy had less pain and disability at one year than those assigned glucocorticoid injection.
What it can't tell usIt was a physical therapy trial in one particular setting. It doesn't show cartilage regeneration, and it doesn't vouch for every treatment offered for knee pain.
Publication details & citation
Deyle et al. Physical Therapy versus Glucocorticoid Injection for Osteoarthritis of the Knee. New England Journal of Medicine. 2020. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1905877.
Read the publication record
Our editorial policy explains how to read these sources and what our clinical-review labels mean.
Your next step
Bring your questions.
We’ll start there.
Your answers to those three questions are where we start. We go over your history and symptoms, examine you, and explain what we found before we recommend anything. If it turns out to be something another doctor should look at, we'll tell you.
Anatomy: BodyParts3D, © DBCLS, CC BY 4.0. Model & rendering credits. Return to the full body explorer.