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Swollen Knee

Swollen knee is a common health problem usually encountered by people around their knee joint. When it occurs, movement is seriously hindered around the joint due to incessant pain that is experienced each time an attempt on movement is made. There are places where this condition is called “water on the knee” probably because the condition arises as a result of accumulation of excess fluid around or within the knee joint. For someone who leads a very active life, this situation of swollen knee can be very frustrating and can lead to some other serious complications when adequate care and attention is not given. Finding the cause of swollen knee can be a serious challenge for any individual because there are many situations that can lead to the condition.

Some of the known causes of swollen knee include arthritis, injury to the meniscus or ligaments or the collection of fluid in the bursa. When the swelling develops, it may be acute or chronic depending on some other factors. Where there is an injury to the knee cap, it may lead to a gradual onset of the knee swelling condition. The cause of the condition may not be known but treatment can be given to it to bring total remedy to the knee affected. In determining the treatment to be given to the swelling, it is better and faster when what caused the problem in the first place is sought.

In all cases, those who suffer from the condition of knee swelling either have the condition due to the accumulation of fluid in soft tissue surrounding the knee or within the knee itself. As it is required to determine the cause of the swelling, the first step towards this is to determine first the location of the fluid. Each knee joint has a capsule with which it is surrounded. These capsules form the “joint spaces” around the knees. In these joint spaces, lubrication is provided for through the means of a small amount of lubricating fluid. This way, the knees are kept moving within the capsules without any form of hardship.

The swollen knee condition would result if anything happens to cause an increase in the accumulation of fluid within the “joint capsule” of a knee. The accumulation of this fluid is of no relevance to the easy movement of the knee joint and in fact it impedes the easy movement that the knee may enjoy. This condition is also called knee effusion by some people.

When fluid gets accumulated within the knee joint, what should be the focus of attention of the sufferer or the medic rendering help would be to determine if the chance of an associated injury. Where an acute injury is associated with the swelling, the type of fluid in the swelling should be determined. There are types of injuries that only cause influx of blood into the site of the injury while others cause the accumulation of fluid. Knee swelling as a result of accumulation of blood would be intense as fluid accumulates within minutes. A swollen knee that occurs as a result of non-bloody fluid in acute injuries brings about a less rapid accumulation of fluid. The accumulation would still be seen as significant because movement is hindered.

A swollen knee as a result of a chronic injury would cause a fluctuation in the accumulation of fluid within knee. For this reason, the symptoms associated with the swelling may appear and then disappear again. This type of knee swelling is what is experienced by most people and occurs as a result of wear-and-tear or knee arthritis. Fluid accumulation and fluctuation can occur as a result of knee arthritis. Those who suffer from arthritis often observe that the knee where there is accumulation of fluid is larger than the other knee. Knee swelling can also be a result of infection which may occur through wounds or points of surgeries. When situations like this occur, they are often difficult to tackle and an operation may have to be carried out to have the situation corrected.

When the accumulation of the fluid is outside the knee i.e. in the joint space or the soft tissues that surround the knee, the prepatellar bursitis is often implicated. There is an accumulation of fluid in the bursa which lies on top of the kneecap and the fluid may even be felt on top of the kneecap and not underneath as one would expect. When there is a contusion to the knee, fluid can also accumulate in the knee region. A swollen knee appearance can also occur when a forceful injury occurs to the soft tissues that surround the knee causing the accumulation of fluid or blood or both.



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