Differential Diagnosis of Knee Pain in Older Adults: An Overview

Course overview

Knee pain is a common complaint in older adults. While osteoarthritis is well-known as a common cause of knee pain, it is critical to be able to develop differential diagnoses to identify when other underlying causes are present. This is an especially challenging task when working with patients with multiple co-morbidities and complex health histories. This module provides an overview of how therapists working in post-acute care settings can use the patient history, pain characteristics, and examination findings to develop a differential diagnosis for knee pain. A separate module will cover treatment interventions for older adults with knee pain.