Knee Pain: ABFM practice questions

7 board-style questions on knee pain in the PulseMD family medicine question bank, written against current guidelines with the reference cited on each question. Two free samples below; the full set with answers, explanations, and spaced review is free to start.

Sample question 1

A 62-year-old overweight woman (BMI 32 kg/m2) presents with bilateral knee pain that has worsened over the past year. The pain is worse with activity and improves with rest. She has morning stiffness lasting about 15 minutes. X-rays show joint space narrowing and osteophytes in both knees. She has no history of inflammatory arthritis. What is the most appropriate initial treatment approach?

  1. Start oral prednisone 10 mg daily for inflammation
  2. Recommend weight loss, regular low-impact exercise, and trial of acetaminophen
  3. Refer for bilateral total knee arthroplasty
  4. Prescribe celecoxib 200 mg daily as first-line therapy

Sample question 2

A 28-year-old man presents to the emergency department after twisting his right knee during a basketball game 2 hours ago. He felt a pop and developed immediate swelling. He was able to bear weight and limp off the court. On examination, he has a moderate effusion and tenderness along the medial joint line. He can flex his knee to 90 degrees, though with pain. He is able to bear weight for 4 steps in the ED. His fibular head is nontender and he has no isolated patellar tenderness. According to the Ottawa Knee Rules, does he need an X-ray?

  1. Yes, because he has joint line tenderness
  2. Yes, because he has a knee effusion
  3. Yes, because he heard a pop at the time of injury
  4. No, he does not meet Ottawa Knee Rule criteria for radiography

Create a free PulseMD account to answer these, see the explanations, and practice five minutes a day.

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