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How to get more knee pain patients: a plan for orthopedic and sports medicine practices

A front desk team member at an orthopedic practice takes a call and notes it

Adults call about pain around or behind the knee, swelling, stiffness, pain after a twist or overuse, a consult request or a follow-up visit. This guide covers knee pain in orthopedic, sports medicine and physical medicine practices; ACL injury, meniscus tear, knee arthroscopy, arthritis, bursitis and sports injury have their own guides. The orthopedic or sports medicine clinician or the treating clinician (the clinician below) evaluates the patient and decides the plan, including whether and which procedure is needed.

In short

  • Speak to adults with knee pain in plain words, without blame.
  • Keep landing pages simple: symptoms, evaluation, clinician, price, one way to book.
  • Book the visit with a short script that never names a treatment.
  • Relay the MedlinePlus contact lines whole, then tell the clinical team.
  • Follow up with consent, without pressure, and track each request.
  1. SearchAn adult looks for care near them.
  2. Your pageWhat you treat, who sees them, one way to book.
  3. Call or formThey call or send a request.
  4. Front deskBooks the visit and never guesses a cause.
  5. Clinical teamThe clinician decides the plan.
How a new patient request reaches your practice.

1. Who the patients are and what they search for

Callers are adults 18 or over, of any sex, with pain around or behind the knee. They search for knee pain, pain behind the knee, a swollen or stiff knee, knee pain after a twist, or a knee doctor near them. Use the same words on your pages.

The MedlinePlus knee pain page says “Knee pain can have different causes.” and “Overusing your knee can trigger knee problems that cause pain.” It adds “Knee pain also may begin as a mild discomfort, then slowly get worse.” Staff never guess the cause.

The MedlinePlus knee injuries and disorders page says “Knee problems can cause pain and difficulty walking.” and “Knee problems can interfere with many things, from participation in sports to simply getting up from a chair and walking.” Aim ads at adults only, never target by sex or family status, and never build audiences from health information.

2. Landing page basics

  • Name the symptoms people notice, in their words. Say that care starts with an evaluation by the clinician.
  • Give the clinician’s name and real credentials.
  • Give a starting price and what it includes. Self-pay patients may be entitled to a good faith estimate.
  • Show one way to book.

Never blame a patient’s job, sport, hobby, body or age, never say who needs a procedure, never name a treatment, and never promise any outcome. Avoid “fix your knee pain”, “no more knee pain”, “back to running”, “risk-free” and “insurance will cover it”. Better: “the clinician will examine your knee, ask about your symptoms and talk through the options with you”.

3. The phone script

Staff collect answers and book. They never judge urgency, never say what condition a caller has and never name a treatment.

  1. “Thanks for calling. May I take your name, your age and the reason for your visit?”
  2. “Which knee is it, when did the pain start, and did a doctor refer you? Please bring a list of your medicines and any notes from earlier care.”
  3. “The evaluation starts at [price]. Further care may be extra. We will check your plan, but cannot promise coverage.”
  4. Which treatment, and will it work? “We cannot tell that on the phone. The clinician will examine your knee, ask about your symptoms and decide with you what the options are.”
  5. “I can book your evaluation now. May we text or email you about it?”

Book adults only; pass any caller under 18 to the clinical team. Staff never advise on medicines, activity, work, sport or what to do at home; they pass those questions on. A caller with a question after earlier care is booked or passed to the clinical team, never advised. See the new patient phone script.

4. Routing and safety lines

Relay only what the source says, then tell the clinical team right away. The MedlinePlus knee pain page says “If knee pain is caused by an accident or injury, you should contact your health care provider.”

Under When to Contact a Medical Professional, the same page starts “Contact your provider if:” and lists:

  • “You cannot bear weight on your knee.”
  • “You have severe pain, even when not bearing weight.”
  • “Your knee buckles, clicks, or locks.”
  • “Your knee is deformed or misshapen.”
  • “You cannot flex your knee or have trouble straightening it all the way out.”
  • “You have a fever, redness or warmth around the knee, or a lot of swelling.”
  • “You have pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, or bluish discoloration in the calf below the sore knee.”
  • “You still have pain after 3 days of home treatment.”

If a caller reports one of these, tell them what MedlinePlus says for it, then tell the clinical team right away. Staff read these lines as the source writes them and add no words of their own about how urgent a call is. The saved sources give no other urgent line, so staff add none. Any other report that worries a caller, such as a new injury or a problem after earlier care, goes to the clinical team right away.

Make follow-up visits easy to book; the clinician decides what each visit covers and how often to see the patient.

Text or email only with the patient’s own contact details and consent; see texting patients and the TCPA. Follow up without pressure (see consultation to treatment), never pay or take payment for referrals (see patient referrals for medical practices), and track each request from first contact to evaluation.

Where MediLeadGen fits

MediLeadGen sends practices requests from people interested in cash-pay elective treatments. Each request goes to one practice only, with the person’s consent naming that practice, at a fixed price per delivered request.

See how it works for practices

Questions practices ask

How do we get more knee pain patients?

Answer quickly, give clear prices and real credentials, keep claims inside the sources, and book an evaluation where the clinician decides the plan.

Can we tell callers which treatment they need or that it will work?

No. The orthopedic or sports medicine clinician or the treating clinician examines the patient and decides the plan after the evaluation, including whether and which procedure is needed.

What should the front desk do when a call sounds urgent?

Relay the MedlinePlus lines from section 4 if they match, then tell the clinical team right away. Staff never judge urgency and never say what condition a caller has.

Does insurance cover knee pain care?

Coverage varies by plan. Check each patient’s plan, and do not promise coverage in ads or on the phone.

General information for practice teams, not legal or clinical advice. Check device labeling, FDA requirements, state rules and your advertising with counsel and your clinicians. Last reviewed October 2026.

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