When evaluating a knee injury, the first thing that needs to be done is HOPS.
HISTORY: First ask the patient if they have had past knee injuries. Then find out the mechanism of the injury, include the activity at the time of injury, the position of the lower extremity, and,if applicable, the direction of external trauma. Patients should be asked if they heard or felt a pop or experienced swelling. Asking patients if their knee gave way or locked provides useful information.
PALPATION: Palpate the acutely injured knee, it is important to avoid causing excessive discomfort, the patient may become uncooperative. You will need to palpate muscles and bony structures around the knee. Such as the lateral collateral ligament, medial collateral ligament, medial joint line, lateral joint line, patella, and the patellar tendon.
SPECIAL TESTS: There are many different tests that can be done to determine the exact location of injury and what is injured. These are the types of tests that can be done and what they are evaluating. Valgus stress test (tests the medial collateral ligament), Varus stress test (tests the lateral collateral ligament), Anterior drawer test (tests the anterior cruciate ligament), Lachman's test (also tests the anterior cruciate ligament), Posterior sag test (tests the posterior cruciate ligament), McMurrays cartilage click test (tests mensical tears), Apley's compression/ distraction tests (compression tests the meniscus and distraction tests the ligamnets), and the Apprehension test (tests the patella dislocation/ subluxation).