Swelling under the knee is a reason to immediately seek help from your doctor. This is due to the fact that the knee joints perform the function of support while walking, running or jumping. It is thanks to the lower limbs that a person has the ability to walk, so any violations in the condition of the knee joints require timely treatment.
How to recognize a knee swelling yourself?
There are many reasons for the formation of a tumor under the knee, but regardless of them, a person can immediately detect a pathology, since there is an increase in the knee joint, which interferes with walking. In order to confirm violations, a comparison of both legs can be made.
If a swelling has formed under the knee, then you should immediately contact a specialist who, after identifying the cause of this condition, will select a high-quality treatment regimen.
Reasonsswelling formation
The most common cause of swelling under the knee is considered to be regular exercise that affects the lower limbs. That is why doctors forbid a lot of squats.
But there are other causes of swelling under the knee:
- congenital ligament defect and knee injury;
- inflammatory processes in the body;
- Baker's cyst;
- Goff's disease;
- osteoporosis causing bone fractures.
In all these cases, swelling is accompanied by pain and an increase in the size of the knee joint.
Symptoms of disease
Regardless of the cause that caused the swelling under the knee, the pathology is accompanied by sharp painful sensations. Pain can occur during habitual activities: when exercising, while sleeping or at rest. It can be both weak and strong, it all depends on the cause of the pathology and the stage of its development.
Because of the Baker's cyst, there are problems with bending the knee, as the tumor grows, there is an increase in pain. If you turn to the doctor at the initial stages of the formation of pathology, then it will be enough to take analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs. If treatment is delayed, then surgery is indispensable.
The symptoms of Goff's disease are the same as those of a Baker's cyst, however, there is one significant difference. The pain does not increase, but remains in its original state, painful sensations may have a pullingcharacter, and in a number of situations, they disappear altogether. In this variant, the tumor resembles a large bump, so it is quite difficult to confuse the diseases. The swelling is quite firm to the touch.
When is the best time to see a doctor?
When the first symptoms of a tumor occur, you should immediately go to the clinic to determine the possible causes. There are a number of situations where a delay in going to the doctor can provoke the development of serious complications:
- pain persists for five days;
- when temperature occurs and pain in the lower extremities increases;
- when discomfort occurs while walking;
- in case of rapid tumor growth;
- severe pain of a pulling nature develops, which gradually intensifies.
If there is swelling under the knee, you should consult a doctor to diagnose the cause. Do not delay if, in addition to the indicated symptoms, there is also an increase in temperature.
Stages of disease diagnosis
Before the doctor selects the appropriate treatment for the patient, the latter must go through several stages of diagnosing the cause of the pathology:
- Visual examination of the patient by a specialist. The doctor will get acquainted with the general condition of the patient and prescribe the necessary diagnostic procedures. At this stage, the specialist may prescribe pain medication.
- It turns out the type of professionalactivities. The work of a person can cause pathology, since during physical exertion the lower limbs are often injured.
- Swelling under the knee from the inside can manifest itself in different ways, so the specialist needs to identify the strength of pain in the patient at the initial stage.
- The quality of knee flexion and extension is analyzed. Thus, the doctor can determine the level of pain.
- Necessary tests and procedures are being prescribed to make a diagnosis.
Education Research
After a visual examination, the doctor can only assume the presence of a particular diagnosis, but the exact formulation of the cause of the pathology is impossible. That is why, if there is swelling and pain under the knee, a series of studies is required to find the causes of the disease.
Diagnostic procedures that must be performed in the presence of a tumor in the knee area include the following:
- x-ray;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- ultrasound;
- cyst puncture with possible tests and their study.
After completing the procedures, you will need to wait for the transcripts of the results and go with them to your doctor. After reviewing the results of the study, the doctor can make a diagnosis. After identifying the cause that provoked the development of the pathology, the doctor can choose the appropriate treatment regimen.
Treatment of swelling
Treatment of pathology will vary depending on the cause that provoked its development. But there are a number of factors that are included in the treatment regimen for swelling under the knee, regardless of the cause:
- it is necessary to limit movements to the maximum, it is preferable to provide the patient with bed rest;
- if the swelling under the knee is accompanied by a slight swelling, then the treatment may consist only of the use of special ointments;
- after identifying the cause of the tumor formation, special medications are prescribed to reduce pain and swelling;
- when the condition worsens, a knee puncture is performed to remove the resulting fluid:
- if you delay therapy for a long time, then doctors prescribe surgery.
After getting rid of the swelling as a prevention of relapse, a massage of the knee joint is prescribed.
To restore damaged tissues, improve blood circulation and lymph flow, accelerate healing and relieve swelling, physiotherapy procedures are prescribed, including UHF and magnetotherapy.
Rear knee injury
If a tumor is found behind the knee, then the lack of timely treatment provokes a deterioration in blood circulation in the joints and disorders in the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.
There can be several causes of swelling under the knee at the back, but the most common of them are the following:
- bone injuries andcartilage;
- bone fractures;
- infringement of the nerve joints in the lumbar region;
- circulation problems.
Anterior knee injury
Swelling under the knee in front can be detected visually. It is enough just to look at the other leg and compare their condition. The swelling is formed in the form of a bump.
To obtain more detailed information about the tumor, it is required to undergo diagnostic procedures, consisting of ultrasound, MRI, biopsy. Only after receiving the results of the study, it is possible to identify the cause that provoked the development of such a condition.
When a swelling appears under the knee from behind, a person feels some discomfort while walking. When a tumor is formed in front, pain may not develop, and swelling does not bring a person any discomfort.
However, even if the tumor does not manifest itself in any way, after its detection, you should immediately consult a doctor, since a gradual increase in the size of the tumor can lead to surgery.
Prevention
It is much easier to prevent swelling in the knee than to cure it, which is why you should not forget about preventive measures. In addition, after pathology therapy, it is necessary to carefully monitor one's own he alth in order to prevent the development of a relapse.
If there is swelling and pain under the knee from behind, then drugs are prescribed as therapy in the form of tablets andpain soothing ointments. You can avoid taking these medications if, as a preventive measure, do foot massage daily. To maintain the he alth of the knee joint, it is necessary to engage in special physical education, which is also prescribed by the attending physician.
Physical activity prescribed by a specialist should be consistent with the patient's capabilities. Bicycling is generally recommended as it forces knee flexion and extension.
During exercise, it is recommended to use protective equipment in the form of knee pads, bandages, clamps. If there is excess weight, an increased load on the knee joints is provided, so it is recommended to take measures aimed at getting rid of unnecessary kilograms.
Be sure to balance the diet. The daily menu should contain a large number of vegetables and fruits, cereals, nuts and meat. You should try to avoid eating fried and fatty foods.
How long do people live with a knee injury?
Injury to the knee joint is not a fatal disease, since the pathology is easily treatable. However, if the disease becomes more complicated, an operation may be required, which carries with it a number of risks.
After undergoing treatment, various complications may develop, so a number of rules must be observed. At first, it is necessary to limit physical activity so as not to renew damage to the knee joint.
When the swelling reappears, it may be difficult to walk andif you do not start treatment in a timely manner, then even getting a disability is not excluded. To get rid of the pathology, it is necessary to follow all the advice of specialists, since when deciding to take up treatment on your own, you can only cause serious complications.
Medicines
In the formation of swelling under the knee, the following medicines are quite often prescribed:
- "Benemid";
- "Anturan";
- "Amplivix";
- "Flexen".
Even a small tumor under the knee requires the intervention of a doctor, so you should not delay going to the clinic.
