If the treatments you’ve tried on your own—or the treatment your GP suggested, isn’t giving you enough relief from knee pain, it may be time to have a conversation with your GP about your treatment options. Especially if you’ve been in pain for a while with no improvement.

Preparations

• Make an appointment specifically to talk about knee pain treatments. If you try to discuss it at the end of an appointment that was scheduled for a different reason, it can seem like an afterthought and your GP may not understand that it’s a serious issue for you.
• Keep track of your pain and the treatments you try for at least a week before your appointment. Let your GP know if the pain is stopping you from participating in any of your usual activities.
• Write down your questions about pain and treatment, and take them with you to your appointment.

At the GP's office

• Bring a pen and paper to your appointment and take notes on the treatments your GP talks about.
• If the pain is limiting your participation in favourite activities, make sure you tell your GP that they’re an important part of your life.
• Ask about the whole range of treatment options. Your GP will decide what you should try next, but use the opportunity to find out what happens if that treatment isn’t working.
• Ask about the advantages and risks of the treatments your GP suggests.
• For each treatment discussed, ask how long the relief is supposed to last.
• You may want to ask about whether it’s appropriate to see a specialist in your case.

Before your appointment, you may want to use the Pain & Mobility Assessment and take the results to discuss with your GP.