The inside of the knee joint is lined with a synovial membrane. The main function of this shell is the synthesis of a special fluid that acts as a lubricant when the joint moves. Synovitis is inflammation of the synovium. At the same time, the amount of synovial fluid increases, the joint itself increases in volume and swells. Only by seeing such a joint, the doctor will no doubt make a diagnosis: synovitis of the knee joint.
Causes of disease
Synovitis can develop with any damage to the synovial membrane. It can be both trauma and chronic inflammation as a result of arthrosis. In the first case, microorganisms must enter the joint cavity, and then the synovitis is called infectious. If an infectious (traumatic) synovitis of the knee is diagnosed, treatment will necessarily include the administration of antibiotics.
With arthrosis, sharp growths form on the cartilage in the knee, which injure the joint from the inside, after which inflammation also begins, but it is aseptic, that is, without the participation of microorganisms. If a person has developed aseptic synovitis of the knee joint, then antibiotic treatment willcompletely meaningless.
Diagnosis
Synovitis is not an independent disease, but a symptom that indicates trouble in the joint. If a person comes to the surgeon with an accumulation of fluid in the joint cavity, it will not be difficult to diagnose him with "synovitis of the knee joint." Treatment will depend on the cause of the disease.
Diagnosis includes examination, palpation, X-ray of the joint, synovial fluid puncture, biopsy and cytology. Puncture is not only a diagnostic, but also a therapeutic procedure. After it, antibiotics are injected into the joint cavity to prevent infection. Usually, by the appearance of the synovia, the surgeon can immediately determine the presence of infection in the joint. With an injury, the synovial fluid will be mixed with blood, but transparent. During the infectious process, it is cloudy and viscous.
Synovitis of the knee joint: treatment
Synovitis cannot be treated in isolation. Of course, if fluid is pumped out of the joint cavity, drugs are introduced to prevent its formation, a person will experience immediate relief. Thus, such a symptom as synovitis of the knee joint is quickly stopped, but the treatment has not actually been carried out. And be sure - over time, the symptom will return in a more severe form.
Therefore, with such a serious condition as synovitis of the knee joint, it is imperative to identify its cause and conduct a comprehensive treatment. If this is an injury, the limb should be immobilized, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. UHF and electrophoresis are actively used.
If excess synovial fluid was synthesized as a result of a reaction to arthrosis, it is this disease that must be treated first of all. The introduction of nonsteroidal drugs into the joint cavity in this case is even contraindicated. They will temporarily anesthetize the knee, but after the end of their action, the clinical picture will worsen.
Injuries and arthrosis can be treated even by different specialists: a traumatologist and a surgeon. Therefore, if the ad says: "Synovitis of the knee joint: treatment," it is better to read reviews about this doctor in advance. Quick results are often achieved by unscrupulous doctors (for the sake of advertising), and then the patients who entrusted their he alth to them suffer.