Regardless of what causes swelling of the knees, such a symptom is considered a very unpleasant phenomenon. The tumor does not decorate either the male or the female leg and brings a lot of problems to a person, causing discomfort while bending the limbs.
The occurrence of edema in the knees is sometimes a sign of a violation of metabolic processes in the body, malfunctions in the functioning of internal organs, infection or allergies.
Regardless of whether pain occurs in this case or not, such a phenomenon requires a visit to a doctor. Only a specialist will establish the true cause of swelling in the knees and prescribe the necessary course of treatment. Why does such a pathology develop and how to remove its clinical manifestations? Let's look at the most common reasons. Swollen knees? The treatment of this disease will also be described below.
Injuries
Among the most common causes of pain and swelling in the knee is a bruise during exercise or sports. Especially often injuries occur in football players and hockey players.
They arise due to the fact that the body of an athlete sometimescontinues to rotate by inertia at the moment when his foot has already taken a fixed position. This causes stretching of the ligaments, and sometimes their rupture, accompanied by the corresponding symptoms. Among them:
- appearance of sharp pain in the knee front and back;
- increasing swelling of the joint;
- difficulty or inability to bend the knee due to severe pain;
- change in skin color, which becomes purplish-bluish.
But a sports injury is not the only cause of knee swelling caused by external factors. This pathology is provoked by a blow received, for example, in a fall. Such exposure can cause a fracture of the patella and rupture of the tendons. Such an injury will require serious examination and long-term treatment.
Gonarthosis
This pathology also causes swelling of the knees. The reason for this phenomenon in this case lies in the presence of a degenerative-dystrophic process occurring in the tissues of the joint. Its consequences are:
- thinning of articular cartilage;
- decrease in bone strength;
- the formation of sharp outgrowths along the edges of the bones.
Gonarthrosis, as a rule, develops in old age. In women, the causes of swelling of the knees lie in changes in hormonal levels.
That is why they suffer most from this pathology during menopause. The main symptoms of the disease are:
- pain and swelling in the knee;
- difficulty bendinglimbs;
- crunching and clicking sensation when moving;
- feeling of stiffness in the joint.
Among the causes of knee pain and swelling is obesity. It is the most significant factor provoking the development of gonarthosis. With excess body weight, the load on the knee joint increases many times over. And this provokes rather rapid wear of the joint.
Autoimmune pathologies
Why do my knees hurt and swell? The causes of this pathology may lie in systemic diseases that affect connective tissues, such as, for example, lupus erythematosus. Such ailments cause inflammation in the knee joint or arthritis. To restore he alth in this case, the patient needs to be observed by a rheumatologist for a long time and undergo a long-term course of treatment with hormonal drugs.
Infectious diseases
Sometimes swelling of the knee occurs for no reason. A similar phenomenon is observed in infectious diseases. Doctors warn that any contagious disease can lead to such a complication, especially when it is caused by pathogenic viruses.
However, the development of some pathologies provokes such changes in the joints that bring pain to the fore. The swelling of the knee in this case is provoked by pathogenic microorganisms that have penetrated the tissue and caused painful changes in it. The list of such pathologies includes:
- pseudotuberculosis, which is accompanied by gastrointestinal disorders, arthritis and rashes;
- brucellosis, which is an occupational disease of veterinarians, as well as persons in regular contact with cattle, manifested by joint damage, fever, infertility and mental changes;
- borreliosis, which occurs when a tick bites and affects the joints, heart, skin and brain;
- Reiter's syndrome, caused by a chlamydial infection that causes joint pain, eye damage, and inflammation of the urethra;
- osteo-articular tuberculosis that affects the knee joint and provokes its progressive destruction;
- bursitis, which is an inflammatory process of the periarticular bag and causes pain in the knee, its swelling, accompanied by difficulties during movement.
Pathogenic microorganisms can be one of the causes of swelling above the knee or below it, all the way to the foot. The same phenomenon is sometimes caused by injuries.
Quincke's edema
Without an accurate identification of the causes of knee edema, the treatment of this pathology cannot be carried out as efficiently as possible. For example, a special therapy is required when the joint swells due to an acute allergic reaction called Quincke's edema. This condition occurs due to swelling in the subcutaneous fat and in the mucous membranes. Such an allergy develops almost instantly, affecting the face, neck, palms and feet. In the most severe cases, it manifests itself in the joints, meninges and internal organs.
Quincke's edema can occur with an allergic reaction of the body during the introduction of anydrug, vaccination, library or house dust, food, plant pollen, mites, and helminthic infestation.
If symptoms of Quincke's edema develop, which are hoarseness, barking cough, sore throat and stomach, pain when urinating and swollen joints, you should immediately call an ambulance. Lightning-spreading puffiness can block access to breathing. Such a patient must be placed in a hospital, where he must stay for at least a week until the life-threatening condition is completely eliminated. In this case, the patient is prescribed hormonal drugs, glucocorticosteroids and adrenaline. The patient also takes antiallergic medications that have a strong effect on the body.
As you can see, causes of knee swelling without pain can be the most serious.
Load Consequence
Knees swell even with physical exertion. This may be due to fast or long walking, general overwork or hard work. In most cases, swelling of the knee during exercise occurs in those people who previously had this joint injured. Patients of mature age who suffer from pathologies of the vascular system and kidneys are also at risk.
If for these reasons the knees are swollen, the person does not need treatment. Removal of physical activity and rest, as well as the use of traditional medicine, will help eliminate the symptoms that have arisen.
Tendenitis
This ailment is a pathological process that develops in the place wheretendons and muscles. In this case, the knee swells and begins to hurt excruciatingly during movement. If this is precisely the cause of swelling of the knees, treatment should be prescribed immediately. In the absence of therapy, there is a possibility of complete atrophy of the tendon fibers.
Gout
This disease occurs when uric acid accumulates in the body. Gout manifests its activity in the joints of the toes, and sometimes in the knee area. At the same time, intense pain is felt at the site of the localization of the inflammatory process. If left untreated, the patient is at risk of disability.
Septic arthritis
This disease is one of the varieties of infectious arthritis. It is provoked by pathogenic bacteria. Swelling of the knee is accompanied by pain, chills, redness of the skin and limited flexion function of the joint.
Polyarthritis
With the development of such a pathology, the swelling of the knee and the feeling of pain in it is only seasonal. Polyarthritis is characterized by damage to several joints at once. However, the inflammatory process passes quickly enough, which does not allow the patient to fully realize the presence of a problem. You can identify polyarthritis only when you visit a doctor who will determine the diagnosis.
Vascular and heart disease
These pathologies can also cause swelling of the knee. Due to insufficient blood flow from the right and left sides of the joint, swelling occurs, which are quite soft to the touch. Most often, this phenomenon occurs in the evening hours. Whenuntimely taken medical measures, this symptomatology is constantly observed and is accompanied by an increase in the density of soft tissues located on both sides of the joint.
Varicose
Often in adulthood women's knees swell. The causes and how to treat this condition should be determined by a doctor. So, swelling of the knee can be the result of venous insufficiency, which is manifested by heaviness in the legs and spider veins. If the disease is not treated, then it can cause such a dangerous complication as thrombophlebitis. In this condition, there is a blockage of the veins by a thrombus. The patient begins to suffer from severe pain in the affected limbs. At the same time, he has swelling above the knee, the tissues in the place of the inflamed area are compacted and hyperemia occurs. On palpation of the leg, an increase in temperature is felt in it, and touching it, even the slightest, causes pain in a person.
Swelling of the joint with venous insufficiency is somewhat reduced during sleep. This is explained by an improvement in the outflow of blood in a limb that is in a horizontal position.
Lymphostasis
Edema in this pathology is localized from the thigh to the foot. They are caused by stagnation of the lymph. At the initial stage of the disease, tissue thickening occurs. The skin in the affected area darkens. With the development of the disease, swelling increases, which leads to an increase in the size of the leg.
As for malignant tumors, they are extremely rare in the knee joint. With their development, the patient dramatically loses body weight, suffers from night sweats andpersistent hyperemia.
How to help the knee?
If swelling occurs in the joint of the lower limb and if discomfort occurs, you must:
- Give your knees a rest. At the same time, it is recommended to keep the legs in such a position that they are above the head. In the process of walking, do not exclude the possibility of using crutches.
- Apply ice to the swollen area to reduce inflammation. The duration of this procedure is 10 minutes. In addition, it is recommended to apply compresses to the painful area up to three times during the day.
- Do not use heat if there are signs of injury. At the same time, you should also refrain from taking a hot bath or shower.
- Apply a pressure bandage. Such a measure will immobilize the leg and relieve swelling from the knee. In this case, it is recommended to use an elastic bandage, which should not be wrapped too tightly so as not to disturb blood circulation.
- Massage. The procedure, accompanied by light movements, will increase blood flow in the affected area.
- Use over-the-counter pain relievers such as Acetaminophen and Aspirin.
Treatment
If the measures taken at home did not bring relief, you should consult a doctor.
Only after establishing the exact cause of such a phenomenon, the most effective tumor therapy can be prescribed.
While dealing withproblem help:
- Ointments, creams and gels. Among them are "Apizartron", Vishnevsky's ointment, "Viprosal", "Diclofenac" and others. Their composition includes various medicinal components, such as bee or snake venom, extracts obtained from medicinal plants, shark oil, as well as antiseptic and warming additives.
- Capsules and tablets. To influence the problem from the inside, non-steroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. These are Diclofenac, Prednisolone, Ibuprofen and others. With their help, swelling decreases, acute and pulling pain syndromes are removed.
- Intra-articular injections. With the help of these drugs, which are injected directly into the knee, blood circulation is normalized and articular cartilage is restored. Medicines of this type include "Artrin", "Artra", "Chondroxide".
Physiotherapy
Such activities also find their application in the complex treatment of swelling of the knee joint.
With their help, not only the external manifestations of the pathology are eliminated, but also nutrition occurs, as well as the restoration of damaged tissues. Among the procedures prescribed for this problem, the following should be indicated:
- laser therapy;
- electrophoresis;
- UHF treatment;
- magnetic therapy;
- electromagnetic radiation;
- exposure to ultrasound;
- ozone therapy;
- hydrosulphuric andmud bath;
- massage.
Alternative remedies
Sometimes treatment with pharmacological drugs is complicated by adverse reactions, including allergies. Swelling and pain in the knee at the same time are quite pronounced, which requires immediate action to eliminate them.
In this case, it is recommended to use folk remedies for swelling of the knee. The causes in the treatment of pathology with their use can be eliminated without a negative impact on the body of pharmaceuticals. Below is a list of the most popular recipes.
- Knee bandage using cabbage leaf. Do it at night for 10-15 days. Cabbage will relieve inflammation and remove toxic substances from the deep layers of the skin.
- Compress of horseradish and raw potatoes. Vegetables are rubbed on a coarse grater and laid out on cheesecloth. They are applied to the sore knee in the form of a compress. It must be kept for 10-15 minutes.
- Compress of honey mixed with soda and mustard powder. The ingredients are taken in equal quantities and combined with each other. The resulting mass is applied as a compress at night for 5-7 days. This tool allows you to eliminate swelling and relieve pain.
- Gelatin. This product is used both externally, in the form of lotions and compresses, and internally as part of marmalade, aspic and jelly.
- Healing herbs. Taken inside folk healers recommend cleansing infusions of walnut, burdock and lingonberry leaves. Theseplants allow you to remove s alt deposits and harmful substances from the body. Thanks to this, joints are also healed.
Regardless of the cause, the treatment of knee edema with folk remedies can produce a wonderful effect. In addition, in the fight against pathology, it is necessary to use all available methods. And to prevent illness, you should be attentive to your he alth and, if negative symptoms occur, immediately seek the advice of a doctor.
