Many people complain that the knee is swelling. After all, do not forget that it is the knee joint that accounts for the main load while walking. Swelling and pain can be caused by completely different reasons, from injuries to infectious diseases.
Swollen knee due to injury
Quite often, the cause of edema is acute damage to the knee joint, which is possible, for example, with a strong blow or fall. As a rule, trauma is accompanied by sharp pain, the intensity of which can weaken, as well as the presence of hematoma and edema. In any case, mechanical injury to the knee joint is fraught with:
- sprains or ruptures of tendons and ligaments;
- meniscus damage;
- fracture of the patella, lower tibia or upper leg;
- displacement of the patella;
- dislocation of the knee joint.
It is worth noting that the knee swells with each of the above injuries. Therefore, the victim must be immediately sent to the hospital - medical treatment can hardly be dispensed with here.
Why does the knee swell? The most common diseases
Sometimes it happens that the swelling of the knee appears against the background of general health without mechanical injuries. Of course, such a phenomenon can signal a mass of a variety of diseases:
- Bursitis is a fairly common disease, accompanied by inflammation of the synovial bags (bursa). The inflammatory process can be caused by trauma, stroke, constant physical activity, as well as the penetration of infection. This problem is most often encountered by athletes, in particular cyclists, jumpers, football players. The disease is accompanied by pain, fever and accumulation of fluid inside the joint.
- If the knee turns red and swollen, then this may indicate the development of arthritis. A similar disease can occur under the influence of various factors, including trauma, infection, hypothermia, physical activity, etc.
- In some cases, edema can be explained by the presence of free bodies in the cavity of the articular bag. Such a phenomenon can be the result of both trauma (for example, a meniscus rupture or a fracture), and some diseases, including osteoarthritis, chondromatosis. In any case, the patient needs help, since the presence of free bodies is often accompanied by blockade of the knee joint.
- If the knee is swollen from the inside, then this may indicate the so-called "Baker's cyst", which is nothing more than an accumulation of fluid in the popliteal region.
- Be sure to pay attention to the accompanying symptoms - whether there is pain, redness of the skin, fever, as this is important for the diagnostic process.
In any case, knee edema is a pretty serious problem. To diagnose such a condition and determine the cause of the violation on its own is almost impossible. Therefore, if there is a swelling in the area of the knee joint, it is best to immediately go to the hospital, where the doctor will examine the leg, prescribe tests and an X-ray examination - this is the only way to find out the nature of the pathology, on which, of course, the chosen treatment method directly depends.