Swelling Behind Knee

Knee pain can affect each and every activity like sitting, standing, walking, etc. Sometimes, knee pain is experienced while sleeping also. You can easily kneel, bend or stretch your legs only when knees support these basic actions well. Besides helping in the leg movements, knees also bear the entire weight of your body. Even a mild knee pain, if left untreated, may cost you much later. Swelling behind knees is usually followed by pain. There are several causes of swelling behind knees. Some of the main causes of swelling behind knee are mentioned below.

Causes of Swelling Behind Knee

Baker's Cyst: Baker's cyst is a non-malignant growth that is usually noticed in runners and tennis players. Weakened lining of the knee joint can lead to the formation of a lump or swelling behind the knee, which may restrict leg movement. It can cause pain and discomfort to the person. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis can especially lead to the formation of Baker's cyst, causing unbearable pain behind knee.

Chondromalacia of Patella: Chondromalacia of the patella is also called 'runner's knee'. Swelling behind knee after running, like baker's cyst can be noticed when a runner approaches forty miles per week for the first time. Over-strain may lead to swelling and pain behind knee. Even though a few day's rest is recommended, the pain may come right back. After the first few miles of the next run the swelling behind knee can be seen increased and the pain also might flair up.

Injuries: Any injury that occurs to the knee can lead to swelling behind knee joint. A fracture or tear in your meniscus or ligaments or just a minor tear of the cartilage surface can lead to pain and swelling behind knee. Trauma, injury or fracture during a sport event or accident can lead to swelling behind knees. Read more on knee pain after running.

Overuse: Leg pain behind knee is observed when the joint is overused. Strenuous or constant exercises, wrong position during exercising or during any activity, aging or any fault in structural alignment can cause swelling behind knees, resulting in mild or severe pain. Swelling behind knee after exercise is a very common complaint. If your joint is not used to an exercise pattern, it may result in swelling behind the knee.

Weakened Muscles: Sometimes, swelling behind knee can be experienced due to weakened thigh, foot or calf muscles. Other weakened muscles can create unnecessary work pressure on the knees during any activity, like knee pain when bending. If you are overweight, then this problem can be often experienced as the knees have to carry excess weight.

Other Problems: Rubbing of the knee cap against the lowermost end of the femur (thigh bone) can cause swelling behind knee cap, leading to sharp pain. Sudden change in the daily routine, any added activity or lack of exercise, vitamin deficiency, serious diseases like cancer are also among the other causes of swelling behind knee.

Swelling Behind Knee: Treatment

    * If you are overweight, losing weight is the first requirement for avoiding knee problems. Regular exercises and balanced diet can help reduce the weight.
    * Arthritic patients also need to perform regular knee exercises under the guidance of a physician or physical trainer.
    * Regular runners should use perfect fitting shoes along with knee braces or additional arch support in the shoes, etc.
    * Baker cyst in rare cases requires removal of excess knee fluid in conjunction with cortisone injection. Doctor may prescribe medications to relieve pain and inflammation. Mostly, Baker’s cyst heals on its own and no special treatment is required.
    * For mild swelling or pain, you may opt for over the counter anti inflammatory medicines or pain killers. You can apply ice packs or hot packs, ointments, balms, etc. which can help reduce the pain and swelling behind knee.
    * When pain or swelling behind knee is noticed, you should provide sufficient rest to the joint. You should avoid rigorous physical activities which might lead to increased pressure on knees. Read more on leg exercises for bad knees.
    * If Baker's cyst is associated with cartilage tears or other internal knee problems then surgery can be the best treatment option. During the surgery, the surgeon can remove the swollen tissue (synovium) that is responsible for the cyst formation.

I hope you find the above information about swelling behind knee helpful. I hope, this article guides you to take necessary precautions while exercising or while performing daily activities. The most important thing is that you should consult your doctor about any knee problem if it is not resolved with the help of simple home remedies.

Bone Spurs in Knee

The medical term used to describe bone spurs is osteophytes. This is nothing but an extra bony growth over a normal bone structure. It can occur in various parts of the body. Bone spurs in neck, shoulder, heel, knee, hands are quite common. Bone spurs in knee are found mostly in the elderly. The knee joint comprises of three different bones. They are: the femur or upper leg bone, the tibia or lower leg bone, and the patella or the knee cap. In order to provide stability to these bone structures, several muscles, tendons and ligaments are also present in the knee. When bone spurs develop in the knee, it may not show any symptoms. But as it grows and starts rubbing against other surrounding structures, then it becomes quite painful.

Bone Spurs in Knee Causes

The knee joint is subjected to a lot of pressure continuously. This results in excessive rubbing and stretching of the knee joints. As it continues over a long period of time, the cartilage present in the knee tend to get worn out. In such a condition, the body makes an attempt to protect the joint from any further damage and repair the existing damages by forming bone spurs in knee. The knee is susceptible to osteoarthritis and is often responsible for causing knee bone spurs. Calcium build up in the knee, aging and obesity are the other factors that can give rise to this condition. Knee injury caused by accidents or during any sports activities, lack of physical activity, poor postures and nutritional deficiency can accelerate the process of bone spur growth in the knee. These are the major causes behind formation of knee bone spur in middle aged people.

Bone Spurs in Knee Treatment

As we have already discussed, there are no symptoms of bone spur in the initial stage. Hence, during this period, no treatment is required. When the spur get rubbed against nerves, ligaments and tendons, then these structures become inflamed and gives pain and irritation in the knee. The treatment for bone spurs in knee depends on the intensity of these symptoms. When the knee pain is mild, then the patient is advised to provide adequate amount of rest to the affected knee. Application of ice, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and stretching exercises are recommended to manage the localized joint pain. In some cases, steroids are administered by doctors which helps to get rid of the pain and may even stop further growth of the bones spurs. Those who are overweight should lose some weight in order to bring down the stress from the knee joint.

When all these non-surgical methods of treatment fail to show any improvement and the pain becomes unbearable for the patient, then the spur has to be removed by means of bone spur surgery. This option is availed as a last resort and is undertaken only if the patient is in good health condition. After the surgery, physical therapy and rehabilitation program is necessary to restore the strength and flexibility of the knee joint. Apart from these conventional treatments, there are some alternative methods of treatment like massage therapy, acupuncture and acupressure that have provided a lot of relief to many people. Know more on bone spur treatment.

Basically, it is not possible to prevent bone spurs in knees. However, eating healthy food, maintaining proper body weight, regular exercises, and intake of calcium supplements are some of the measures that can help to reduce the chances of such bony growths. If you are experiencing bone spur symptoms, then you must consult the doctor without any delay, and thus you can prevent any serious damage and deformity of the knee joint.

Knee Injuries - Diagnosis

There are two main functions which our knees perform. Firstly they flex i.e bend and secondly they extend i.e straighten up. It is because of these two functions of the knees that a person is able to walk, run, kick and sit. So, just imagine what will happen if the knees are injured? It will become very difficult for a person even to perform these basic functions.

Knee injuries can occur on account of various reasons such as indulging in sports or exercises and hurting the knee, making an awkward movement, any direct blow caused to the knee, flat feet in a person, unstable kneecaps and imbalance of the thigh muscles. As soon as a person has his knee injured, it is important that he goes to a doctor for a complete knee injuries diagnosis and treatment to prevent any further damage.

Knee Injuries - Diagnosis

Diagnosis of knee injuries is done to identify the type of the injury so that the corresponding treatment can be given.

Sprains
If during a knee injuries diagnosis, it is found that the knee is strained from a particular direction, then the reason could be that the ligament which holds it in place has torn. Such a ligament tear is known as a sprain. Sprains are medically graded as first degree, second degree and third degree. First degree sprains cause the ligament to stretch but there is no tearing of the fiber. Second degree sprains do not affect the ligament but the fibers may be partially sprained while third degree sprains completely damage the ligaments. Read more on sprained knee.

Strains
An injury in the muscles of the knee as well as the tendons which surround the knee is caused due to its overuse or due to hyperflexion or hyperextention of the knee. Such injuries are medically known as strains. Read more on hyperextended knee.

Bursitis
It is a condition in which there is inflammation in the bursas of the knee. It can be caused due to a direct blow to the knee or due to its overuse. See bursitis.

Cartilage Tear
A knee injury which is caused due to the knee twisting, putting stress on the cartilage, can result in a tear. Such an injury is called a cartilage tear or a meniscus tear. Read more on torn cartilage in knee.

Knee Injuries Diagnosis : Symptoms

To diagnose the type of knee injury, doctors depend upon the symptoms which it produces in the person. If the knee injury is severe, it can lead to pain and swelling in the affected area. The person with a knee injury will face problems while bending his knee as well as in bearing weight. The swelling in the injured knee may come and go and can become severe if the person undertakes any activity in which the knee is used. Severe knee pain too like swelling might be intermittent and may come and go with activity.

If the person feels that the knee is giving away or is unstable, then this signals a ligament injury. If there is a grinding or a popping sound experienced, with the person even unable to bend his knee (known as "locking" in medical terms), the reason could be a cartilage tear. Read more on knee instability.

So for knee injuries diagnosis, the doctor always begins with a physical inspection and examination of the affected area. By doing this, the doctor tries to find out that the bones and other structures of the knee are located in the right place or they have been displaced by the injury. The doctor also identifies whether the knee is held correctly. Then he checks where the pain and swelling is experienced, followed by the assessment of the blood and nerve supply to the foot and the leg. In some cases, such as when it is suspected that bones are broken, doctors might ask for an X-rays too.

Once the knee injuries diagnoses is complete, and if there is no broken bone, then the first course of treatment that is suggested is RICE, i.e resting the area, regular application of ice on the affected area to reduce the swelling and pain, putting compression wraps to hold the knee together, and keeping the knee at an elevated position. The doctors recommend physical therapy and a few strengthening exercises as well. Most of the times, these treatments are more than enough to cure knee injuries. However, if the knee injury is severe, and involves broken bones and other structures of the knee, surgery is suggested as the last option.