Swollen knee question
Discussion
Good morning PH collective 
Does anyone have experience of a swollen knee without having any trauma? The other half has had a swelling to his knee for some weeks now. The trigger seemed to be a session on the exercise bike as he did not bang the knee at all, and had a normal day except for putting in a bit more effort than usual at the gym.
Next morning knee is swollen and it seems to be fluid, as if you push the one side of the bulge, it bulges more on the opposite side of the knee. There is no pain as such, just the feeling of pressure. The swelling is worse some days than others. Swelling is to the side of the kneecap, not directly on the front or behind.
GP was unhelpful suggesting he come back if it hasn't cleared in three months!
Any ideas on what it could be and how to stop it getting worse? He has stopped running and doesn't use the bke much now to make sure he isn't aggravating it.
Does anyone have experience of a swollen knee without having any trauma? The other half has had a swelling to his knee for some weeks now. The trigger seemed to be a session on the exercise bike as he did not bang the knee at all, and had a normal day except for putting in a bit more effort than usual at the gym.
Next morning knee is swollen and it seems to be fluid, as if you push the one side of the bulge, it bulges more on the opposite side of the knee. There is no pain as such, just the feeling of pressure. The swelling is worse some days than others. Swelling is to the side of the kneecap, not directly on the front or behind.
GP was unhelpful suggesting he come back if it hasn't cleared in three months!
Any ideas on what it could be and how to stop it getting worse? He has stopped running and doesn't use the bke much now to make sure he isn't aggravating it.
A pic might help, but tbh it's hard to say for sure without seeing it and having a good poke about. There are various soft tissue structures he could be irritating that would swell in response.
If it's not painful I wouldn't be too concerned but obviously it's worth having it looked at.
If it's not painful I wouldn't be too concerned but obviously it's worth having it looked at.
Edited by Bill on Tuesday 9th March 14:08
how old is he, and does he/has he done a lot of sport in the past? it's possible there is some degeneration. I believe excess synovial fluid can be produced in active, degenerating joints. this could cause the swelling, especially the fact it's after exercise.
it could be a bursitis, but i would think that's unlikely because of no trauma and the fluid could usually be felt in front of the knee cap too.
i'll ask someone later who should know a little more about this than me and will get back to you.
ps: long time no see debbie! are you still going to the breakfast meets? i don't really have time or the money these days
it could be a bursitis, but i would think that's unlikely because of no trauma and the fluid could usually be felt in front of the knee cap too.
i'll ask someone later who should know a little more about this than me and will get back to you.
ps: long time no see debbie! are you still going to the breakfast meets? i don't really have time or the money these days
Edited by E21_Ross on Tuesday 9th March 13:33
E21_Ross said:
it could be a bursitis, but i would think that's unlikely because of no trauma and the fluid could usually be felt in front of the knee cap too.
You mean unless it's the supra-patellar or infra-patellar bursas....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bursae_of_the_knee_jo...
And bursitis can be cause by friction.
(ETA:I'm not stalking you really
)Edited by Bill on Tuesday 9th March 13:51
Bill said:
E21_Ross said:
could well be bursitis. but didnt see u mention that in your first post ;-)
I didn't, but to be fair to you my post is riddled with typos
E21_Ross said:
how old is he, and does he/has he done a lot of sport in the past? it's possible there is some degeneration.
ps: long time no see debbie! are you still going to the breakfast meets? i don't really have time or the money these days
Hi Rossps: long time no see debbie! are you still going to the breakfast meets? i don't really have time or the money these days
Edited by E21_Ross on Tuesday 9th March 13:33
How you doing. Yes I still go to the breakfast meets. You get a good mix of people there which is nice.
So, back to the patient:
He is mid thirties. The gym is a relatively new thing, been doing it since September 2009. Not done a lot of sport in the past, except for a lot of cycling when he was younger. He has started running in recent months which he never used to do. He has not run since the swelling appeared though.
There is definitely no fluid on the front of the knee, that feels normal, but you can visibly see a bulge to the side of the kneecap, and if you press it, it comes out the other side of the knee. There is no swelling to the rear of the joint either.
The swelling may go down a bit one day, but be back up again the next with no obvious cause.
Thanks for the input Bill. I know its a bit awkward to diagnose over the internet, just wondered if it was anything obvious, or if there was a recommended course of action likely to clear it up. GP didn't seem worried about it and just said to come back in three months if it is still swollen, which wasn't particularly useful, apart from getting reassurance that it isn't serious.
Bill said:
Could be, but I've tried diagnosing things on the interweb before so I'm not saying anything without poking it.
got to admit from the new, above info it really does sound like bursitis, no? in which case, just use some anti-inflammatory products, they do those gels these days which can be really helpful. not too sure what you can do to treat a bursitis (maybe that's coming next year hehe )Firefoot said:
Thanks for the input Bill. I know its a bit awkward to diagnose over the internet, just wondered if it was anything obvious, or if there was a recommended course of action likely to clear it up. GP didn't seem worried about it and just said to come back in three months if it is still swollen, which wasn't particularly useful, apart from getting reassurance that it isn't serious.
No problems, sorry it's not more useful. Swelling that moves like that will be in the joint and is unlikely to be a bursa. Which side of his kneecap is the swelling? If it's the outside it my well be a friction issue due to a tight ilio-tibial band.
Best thing to do is find a physio: http://www.physiofirst.org.uk/
The GP is working on the principle that there's nothing to worry about and most things will sort themselves out. Of course if it doesn't it'l tend to be harder to fix
Just thought I would give you guys an update on this. A trip to a different doctor has resulted in a blood test and x-ray. Result is a positive test for ankolysing spondylitis (not too sure how its spelt). He is now being referred for a scan to assess the extent of it. He asked them to test for it as he has a family history and has also had a bad back for about 2 years.
I have now banned him from going to the Chiropractor about his back as that could make it worse apparently.
I have now banned him from going to the Chiropractor about his back as that could make it worse apparently.
Firefoot said:
I have now banned him from going to the Chiropractor about his back as that could make it worse apparently.
who told you that? my text book on skeletal radiology by yochum and rowe says the opposite, that it can help relieve symptoms, although is not a cure.
glad he finally has a diagnosis but i don't believe much can be done, it's aetiology (cause) is unknown.
i think it's just a case of slowing down the process.
Edited by E21_Ross on Friday 23 April 14:49
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff