History and physical examination

A physical examination and getting the patient’s history is performed before getting surgery.^[22] A doctor may ask the patient to identify their pain with one finger.^[23] If the patient has pain in one area of the knee, he or she may be a candidate for UKA.^[24] But if the patient has pain in more than one area of the knee, he or she may not be a good candidate for UKA.^[25] The doctor may take some radiographs (e.g., x-rays) to check for degeneration of the other knee compartments and evaluate the knee.^[26] The physical exam may also include special tests designed to test the ligaments of the knee and other anatomical structures.^[27] Most likely, the surgeon will decide to do a UKA during surgery where he/she can directly see the status of the other compartments.^[28]