For teh past couple of weeks, my mom has had extreme pain in her right knee. The pain did not start out being small and then gradually build in intensity - it appeared suddenly and was rather painful as well. My mom originally thought it was arthritis, but then she figured it couldn't be because of how fast it appeared.

She describes the pain as feeling like someone is squeezing her knee with a pair of pliers, and the pain will shoot up into her thigh. Driving aggravates the pain a whole lot, and sometimes she cannot sleep because of the pain.

She told me that her father had gout in his knee, and she believes that this condition may be hereditary. I do not know the symptoms of gout, so I can't make an "educated guess" if it really is gout. And if I know my mom, she will refuse medical help until she can't walk anymore, because that's just the way she is.

Can you guys offer me any words of wisdom? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.