Symptom and Pain Guides
Plain-language guides that start from what you notice: where it hurts, or a phrase on your X-ray, ultrasound or MRI report. Each one walks through common causes, what the pattern or wording usually means, and links on to the deeper condition pages for the next step.
Based in Burlington. Convenient for Waterdown, Oakville, Hamilton, Flamborough, and Carlisle residents.
Where it hurts
Guides that start from where the pain is and how it behaves.
Words on a scan report
Guides to the wording on X-ray, ultrasound and MRI reports: what it means and what it does not.
Suprapatellar Effusion (Fluid on the Knee)
Extra fluid inside the knee joint, seen in the pouch above the kneecap. What the size words on a report mean, the usual causes by how quickly the swelling came on, and when to see a doctor first.
Joint Space Narrowing in the Knee
The gap between the bones looks thinner than expected on an X-ray. What medial, tricompartmental and the severity words mean, how it relates to pain, and what the guidelines recommend.
How these guides are meant to be used
These are educational, not diagnostic. They describe the patterns I see most often in clinic for a given symptom, with links to the underlying condition pages so you can take the next step. If your picture overlaps a few of them, that is normal and worth a proper assessment.
If your symptoms include any of the red flags listed on each guide, such as a hot and systemically unwell joint, sudden inability to bear weight after trauma, a locked knee after a twist, or calf pain and swelling after a period of immobility, please seek medical care first rather than starting with physiotherapy.