What Causes Your Knee To Swell

What Are The Most Common Causes Of Knee Pain

Muscle imbalances around the knee and thigh, lack of mobility in the hip, impact injuries caused by sports can all cause knee pain. One of the most common causes we see at ProBack Clinics is arthritis, caused by degeneration of the cartilage in the knee. Knee conditions can also be brought on by other problems within your body. For example, an issue in the spine can make joints move incorrectly. Thiscan create more pressure on the knee as it bears the weight of the body.

Hemarthrosis: What Causes Bleeding In The Knee And How To Treat It

Written byBel Marra HealthPublished onSeptember 5, 2017

Hemarthrosis or articular bleeding is hemorrhaging inside joints, which can cause extreme swelling and pain. The knee is one of the most common areas affected by hemarthrosis, and if it goes untreated, it can lead to permanent damage. Here we take a look at what leads to bleeding in the knee joints and how it can be treated.

Other Causes Of A Swollen Knee

Usually, knee swelling remains inside the knee joint as the joint capsule acts like a barrier, preventing the fluid from escaping.

However, it can also occur outside the joint capsule, known as extra-articular swelling. The most common types of swelling outside the joint capsule are:

1. Knee Bursitis:Bursa are small fluid filled sacs that sit between bones and soft tissues to reduce friction. If there is excessive friction on them, they get inflamed. You tend to get pockets of swelling rather than general swelling of the whole knee.

Swelling in front of the knee cap of usually caused by Pre-Patellar Bursitis, aka Housemaids Knee.Swelling behind the knee, often like a squashy orange, is usually due to Popliteal Bursitis, aka Bakers Cyst. Swelling on the inner side of the knee may be due to Pes Anserine Bursitis. Visit the Bursitissection to find out more, including treatment information.

2. Haematoma: Blunt trauma to the soft tissues around the knee can cause bleeding. The blood collects around the muscles and can build up into a hard lump. If there is only a small amount of bleeding it is usually referred to as a contusion/bruise.

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What Is The Treatment For Swelling Above Knee

Swelling above the knee can sometimes be a medical emergency when caused by fracture, dislocation or infection of knee joint. Most of the times injury or damage caused to the soft tissues around the knee joint need proper rest to promote healing. Injuries to the knee joint and soft tissues generally take time to heal and need immobilization.

The conservative treatment most often advised for swollen knee is a formula of RICE therapy. Anti-inflammatories and pain-killers can help. Arthritis and joint related conditions may require additional treatment.

Fluid aspiration may be performed if swelling above the knee is severe and not infected. It gives relief in pain following reduction in size of knee swelling. The fluid after aspiration is sent for lab studies and used as a diagnostic tool to detect the exact cause of inflammation. Depending on the fluid examination, further treatment may be planned. Knee joint infections is treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications. Autoimmune disease and joint inflammation is treated with corticosteroid treatment. Calcium and vitamin D supplements may be given, if found appropriate.

Treatment For Knee Pain

The first step in treating knee pain is finding the underlying cause. A thorough examination at one of our ProBack Clinics will help identify exactly whats causing the problem. After a diagnosis is made, treatmentcan be undergone to relieve the pain, correct the problem or prevent it from recurring in the future.

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When Should You See A Doctor For Swollen Knees

In most cases with a swollen knee, minimal to moderate knee swelling can be taken care of at home. What does it mean if my knee is swollen? The quick answer is the following cases are reasons to contact doctor:

• The knee is unable to full bend or straighten.
• The knee has a pronounced abnormality or is severely swollen.
• There is extreme pain in the knee.
• The patient is unable to walk on the knee and it feels like it is going to give out.
• The area is red and hot.
• The patient has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher.
• The knee has been swollen for 3 days or more.

If you want to learn more about knee pain, go to:

If one is uncertain about whether the swelling is serious or not, calling a doctor is a good decision to avoid future damage and resolve an issue within the joint. Hopefully, this article has given you some reasons for “what does it mean if my knee is swollen?”. If the swelling does not go away for an extended period of time, it is probably time to see a JOI Orthopedic Knee Specialist.

To schedule physical therapy with one of our 12 JOI Rehab centers, please call .

Diagnosis And Treatment Of A Swollen Knee

When a person is experiencing a swollen knee, the doctor may either take a sample of the fluid inside the knee, or order X-rays or an MRI to confirm a diagnosis. If its a minor injury, the medical provider may recommend rest, icing, compression, and elevation of the knee .

Depending on the severity, the doctor may also recommend medication, steroid injections, or physical therapy. In extreme cases, a patient may require surgery.

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What Are The Potential Complications Of Behind Knee Swelling

Swelling related to cancers may have life-threatening consequences, which depend on the type and stage of the . Left untreated, swelling due to abscesses or serious infections may lead to widespread infection in the body. Behind knee swelling and associated symptoms can be due to serious diseases, so failure to seek treatment can result in serious complications and permanent damage.

Once the underlying cause is diagnosed, it is important for you to follow the treatment plan that you and your health care professional design specifically for you to reduce the risk of potential complications including:

What About A Petallar Tracking Problem

The patella is the kneecap. Women are more likely than men to experience a tracking issue with the patella, which can lead to pain, a feeling of fullness in the knee, and swelling.

But sometimes there may only be the funny feeling and the swelling.

Dr. Charles explains, In over 33 years in practice, predominantly a sports injury practice, I have found that most patella tracking problems occur due to a rotated tibia bone which alters the movement of the patella.

Turning your leg and foot outwards when exercising, especially during leg extensions or lunges, are a common cause.

It can also be due to a weakness of the medial quadricep muscle, relative to the outer quadriceps.

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Complications Of A Swollen Knee

You may develop a Baker’s cyst. This is when joint fluid leaks out into the back of the knee and causes pain and swelling. Treatment usually involves compression and applying ice packs. However, if your swelling is severe, you may need to have the fluid removed using a fine needle.

You may lose muscle mass, especially in your thigh muscles. This is because fluid in your swollen knee can prevent your thigh muscles from working properly over time this causes them to weaken and deteriorate.

Everything You Need To Know About Water On The Knee

What is it and how is it treated?

Your knee typically has an ounce of liquid inside of it. However, when you have an injury, arthritis, or another problem that irritates your knee, fluid accumulates to cushion and protect your joints.

Clinically, this is known as knee effusion, but most people call it water on the knee.

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What Else Could It Be

There are a number of other conditions that can cause pain behind the knee without typically causing much, if any, back of knee swelling visit the back of knee pain section to find out loads more.

Alternatively, it may be that there is swelling all around the knee, not just at the back, in which case, visit the swollen knee section.

Gradual Increase In Pain

Arthritis pain usually starts slowly, although it can appear suddenly in some cases.

At first, you may notice pain in the morning or after youve been inactive for a while. Your knees may hurt when you climb stairs, stand up from a sitting position, or kneel. It may hurt just to go for a walk.

You may also feel pain when youre simply sitting down. Knee pain that wakes you up from sleep can be a symptom of OA.

For people with RA, the symptoms often start in the smaller joints. They are also more likely to be symmetrical, affecting both sides of the body. The joint may be warm and red.

With OA, symptoms may progress rapidly or they may develop over several years, depending on the individual. They can worsen and then remain stable for a long time, and they can vary by days. Factors that may cause them to worsen include cold weather, stress, and excessive activity.

With RA, symptoms usually appear over several weeks, but they can develop or worsen in a few days. A flare can happen when disease activity increases. Triggers vary, but they include changes in medication.

With OA, this can be:

• hard swelling, due to the formation of bone spurs
• soft swelling, as inflammation causes extra fluid to collect around the joint

Swelling may be more noticeable after a long period of inactivity, like when you first wake up in the morning.

This is because RA is a systemic disease, which means it affects the whole body. OA, meanwhile, only has a direct impact on the affected joint.

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How Is Joint Effusion Treated

The cause of your knee joint effusion determines its care and treatment. Often once the cause of the swollen joint gets treated, the swelling goes away. However, not all causes of a knee joint effusion are curable. For many, treatment consists of managing your symptoms instead of eliminating them. There are several ways healthcare providers manage your swollen joint. Examples include:

• Antibiotics help with infections. If you have septic arthritis an infection in your knee joint your healthcare provider might prescribe antibiotics.
• Arthrocentesis is where your healthcare provider drains the synovial fluid from your swollen joint. They might send it to a lab for testing. Tests could reveal bacteria, proteins, certain blood cells, glucose or other indications of various conditions.
• Colchicine is a medication for people who have gout. It helps with pain, inflammation and joint effusion.
• Steroids help block inflammatory chemicals. Arthritis can cause inflammation, and inflammation can cause joint effusion. Some steroids get swallowed, and others are injected right into your knee joint.

Contact your healthcare provider when you need treatment for a swollen joint. They can help you figure out the best treatment for your joint effusion.

Spontaneous Osteonecrosis Of The Knee

SPONK or SONK occurs when when a local area of bone loses its blood supply and begins to die, Reznik said. That leads to a softening and sometimes collapse of the bone, which will cause knee pain. It is sometimes associated with very high cholesterol or steroid use, Reznik said. More than three times as many women as men suffer from it, and most of those are over 60, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

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How Is Knee Swelling Treated

Depending on the type and severity of your problem, treatments range from surgery to home remedies. Non-surgical remedies include:

• RICE: an abbreviation for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation, is best to do shortly after suffering an injury. RICE can be helpful for managing minor pain.
• Compression: wrapping the knee not too tightly in an elastic bandage
• Physical therapy: doing exercises to strengthen the knee and improve its stability
• Wearing a brace on the knee
• Taking over-the-counter pain-relief medication
• If you are overweight, losing weight to reduce pressure on the knee

In some cases pain medication or a lubricating substance might be injected into the knee. Or a needle may be used to reduce swelling by removing excess fluid.

What Are The Most Common Causes Of Joint Effusion

There are several reasons why your knee or other joints might swell with fluid. The most common reasons include:

• Infection. An infection in your joint is called septic arthritis. Septic arthritis is a serious disease that can damage or even destroy your joint. You might need a joint replacement a type of surgery because of it. When you have an infection, your joint tissues can fill with pus. Pus is a protein-rich liquid thats full of dead white blood cells.

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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Arthritis Of The Knee

There are many signs and symptoms of arthritis of the knee:

• Creaking, clicking, grinding or snapping noises .
• Difficulty walking.
• Joint pain that changes depending on the weather.
• Joint stiffness.
• Knee joint pain that progresses slowly or pain that happens suddenly.
• Skin redness.
• Your knee locks or sticks when its trying to move.
• Warm skin.

Pain and swelling are the most common symptoms of arthritis of the knee. Some treatments might reduce the severity of your symptoms or even stall the progression. See your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of knee arthritis.

Potential Causes Of Knee Swelling

Whether water on the knee is mildly annoying or painfully debilitating, a person will want to identify the likely cause and treat the symptoms to help reduce the likelihood of future problems. Chronic or long-standing swelling may lead to joint tissue damage, cartilage degradation, and bone softening, therefore treatment is usually recommended.

This article describes 12 conditions that frequently cause knee swelling, also called water on the knee.

1. Injury to the kneeTrauma to the knee’s bones, ligaments, tendons, bursae, meniscus, or articular cartilage can cause pain and swelling. Serious injury can cause blood to flood into the knee joint, leading to significant swelling, warmth, stiffness, and bruising. This condition is called hemarthrosis and warrants urgent medical care.

A patient should also seek medical attention if knee pain is severe, if the affected leg cannot bear weight, or if there is suspicion of a broken bone.

2. Knee osteoarthritisDegeneration of the cartilage of the knee joint can result in an overproduction of joint fluid, causing the knee to swell. A swollen knee due to knee osteoarthritis is typically accompanied by pain.

In fact, evidence suggests people who have severe knee pain from osteoarthritis are more likely to experience knee swelling. One study2 found that:

• More Causes of a Swollen Knee

People should seek medical attention immediately if they think their symptoms may be caused by septic bursitis.

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Aetiology Of Knee Pain

Pain when ascending or descending stairs may indicate pathology from the patellofemoral joints. This is a direct result of the increase contact pressures on the patella when the knee is loaded in a flexed position. There is an increased incidence of patellofemoral disorders in women.

Night pain is red flag symptom. The most common cause of night pain in the adult is a severe degenerative arthritis. However, night pain in a child or a young adult may indicate an underlying pathology such as infection or neoplasm. The presence of night pain in an older patient with normal plain radiology of the knee may also be a red flag symptom.

Common Causes Of Fluid In The Knee

There are various issues that may cause fluid in knees. Here are some of the most common:

Knee Trauma or Injury Trauma occurs when the knee joint is impacted from an outside force, resulting in injury to the knee. The type of fluid to enter the knee from a traumatic injury is usually blood or excess joint fluid, though other types of fluid in the knee may be present. The most common forms of knee injury to cause fluid in knees are:

• Meniscus Tears
• Ligament Injuries, such as ACL Tears
• Overuse Injuries

Arthritis The are several types of arthritis that may cause fluid on the knee. The most common types that cause excessive knee fluid are:

• Osteoarthritis the natural wear and tear of the cartilage around the knee due to aging
• Rheumatoid arthritis a chronic inflammation of the joints due to an autoimmune disease
• Gout a type of arthritis where a patients nutritional intake may cause uric acid to build up in the joints

Infection or Inflammation When areas of the knee are inflamed, this causes the knee to swell with fluid as the body combats the injury or bacteria in the area. A common form of inflammation that causes fluid in knees is bursitis. Bursa are cushioning sacs around the body which when inflamed may cause swelling or excess knee fluid.

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