Finding the right tests…
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Emergency services available 24 x 7
Finding the right tests…
Sonography
USG KNEE looks at the soft tissue around your knee joint: tendons, ligaments, and any fluid that has built up inside or around it. That's a genuinely different job from an X-ray or CT of the same joint, which read bone detail well but show soft tissue poorly, and it's a narrower one than an MRI, which reaches deeper structures inside the joint that ultrasound's sound waves can't penetrate. Doctors reach for this scan specifically when fluid buildup, a tendon problem, or a swelling behind the knee is suspected. A fluid-filled swelling behind the knee, known as a Baker's cyst, is common enough that it's the single most frequent cause of a lump found there.
This scan checks for fluid buildup in and around the knee joint, along with the condition of tendons and ligaments close enough to the surface to image well. Your doctor also looks specifically behind the knee when a Baker's cyst is suspected there.
Your knee joint is surrounded by tendons, ligaments, and a joint capsule that can all be read directly with ultrasound, since sound waves show soft tissue detail that bone-based imaging can't.
Fluid within the joint, called an effusion, shows up clearly on ultrasound, and so does a Baker's cyst, a fluid-filled swelling that forms behind the knee and is the most common cause of a lump found in that specific spot. Tendon and ligament problems close to the surface are also within reach of this scan.
Ultrasound can only see the outer surface of bone, not what's inside it, which is where an X-ray or CT of the knee does the job instead. And structures deeper within the joint itself, like the cartilage an MRI reaches, sit beyond what ultrasound's sound waves can penetrate to show clearly.
Your doctor chooses between these based on what's actually suspected, not a single default test for every knee complaint.
An X-ray reads bone detail well but shows soft tissue poorly. This scan does the opposite, reading fluid, tendons, and ligaments close to the surface that an X-ray can't show clearly.
MRI reaches deeper structures inside the joint, like cartilage, that ultrasound's sound waves can't penetrate to show clearly. Ultrasound is better suited to fluid and soft tissue closer to the surface.
It's a fluid-filled swelling that forms behind the knee, and it's the most common cause of a lump found in that specific spot. This scan can identify it directly.
Ultrasound reaches ligaments and tendons close to the surface well, but structures deeper within the joint itself are usually better assessed with MRI instead.
This page is general information about the test, not medical advice. Your own report's reference ranges apply — please discuss your results with your doctor.
No, it's painless, though you may feel some pressure from the probe over a tender area.
No. It's an ultrasound-based scan using sound waves, with no radiation exposure.
There's no special preparation needed for most patients. Ask your doctor or the centre directly if anything specific applies to you.