h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Crickey Radox
I'd never thought it could be broken!

It started without any particular trauma - well nothing I remember anyway - I'd presumed I'd just pulled a cartilage the week before playing cricket - a badly timed fielding movement or something

The pain got intense and the knee started to swell – above and then below the bone

I eventually phoned NHS Direct (this was 11 at night on a Saturday so A&E was a no go area)
They reckon a possible clot – go to A&E

Went to A&E next morning – the “doctor” who was there slagged off NHS direct – had an x-ray and decided that it was a severe muscle pull which would eventually get better with some physio – said see the GP who would arrange it and that admin was all any GP was good for

Went to see the GP who decided it was gout!

Gave me mega painkillers (and extra pills to counter act them) and that was it – all this was a couple of months ago
Up until last weekend it was gradually getting less painful and easier to move – then the slip and I’m back where I started.

I reckon the only 'clots' at NHS direct are the ones on the end of the phone. I've never met a doctor or nurse with a good word to say about them. They have something of a reputation for wrong diagnosis, apparently.

It sounds to me like the A&E diagnosis was the correct one at the time (they usually are). Don't knock 'em, the A&E doctors are normally on the ball. They have to be due to the number of patients they see compared to a GP. It's probable that you've pulled the muscle again when you fell, but I should still get A&E to have another look as it's possible you might have done something else. At the very least A&E should be able to give you a decent knee brace until it heals. If it turns out to be a reoccurence of the pulled muscle (which it probably will) your GP should be able to refer you to physio. Even if he thinks its gout you can still request a physio referral, I think its 6 weeks maximum physio on the NHS but i'm not sure as its been a while since I had any.

A&E is the definite route to go though. I don't think you have a break from what you describe but sometimes a hairline fracture doesn't show up on x-ray. They don't always plaster a break btw, they may feel a brace is enough if it is only 'suspected' or has had nearly a week of healing already. I broke my wrist 2 weeks ago and they left it in a splint instead of plastering it.

You're right Radox - plaster is out and only to be replaced with a brace or a recommended bag of frozen peas

Yeah, what is it with doctors and frozen peas? I reckon they all have shares in Birds Eye or something.

that and shares in the company that supply Ibuprofen eh!

Yeah, and Sodium Diclofenac manufacturers too. They seem to dish that out for everything these days.

- Wonder if we ought to be in the chemical industry eh!!