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Water in the knee - causes, therapy and home remedies
Water in the knee is not a description of a disease, but a popular term that accumulates too much moisture in the knees. A certain amount of fluid in the knee joint is not only normal, but necessary for the joint to work. An effusion of fluid in the knee, meanwhile, belongs in the hands of a doctor; it is not a disease but a symptom.
contents
- consequences
- Damage to the meniscus
- Other causes
- operations
- Home remedy for water in the knees
- pregnancy
- dot
- Prevent water in the knee
The most common causes are arthritis of the knee joints, damage to the meniscus or other mechanical irritation. In the process, the surrounding tissue inflames, and therefore the tissue water collects, and the mucous membranes are irritated. The knee is swollen and feels warm - typical signs of inflammation. The water in the knee is the body's own fluid.
Water in the knee can cause pain. Image: kei907 - fotolia In the process, inflammatory substances are released, which also ignites the surrounding tissue, and as a result the tissue water collects, the mucous membranes are irritated and the bursa inflame. The knee is swollen and feels warm - typical signs of inflammation. The water in the knee is usually the body's own fluid, but injuries can also be blood or the ingress of bacteria to pus.
consequences
Water in the knee limits the ability to function, thus resulting in the knee being unable to move. The knee can become completely stiff. The sufferers suffer immense pain, because the swelling and the water on the nerves.
The pain increases when the patients strain the knee. If the complaints persist, then straining already means getting up or walking. They suffer from both pulsatile and pressure pain.
Damage to the meniscus
Menisci is the technical term for cartilage in the knee joint. These sit at the ends of the thigh and tibia bones. Normally, they absorb shocks and blows, thus protecting the sensitive knee joint from damage.
An injured meniscus frayed and cracks form. Classic causes are accidents in which the knee is twisted or subjected to strong pressure - a tear in the meniscus is one of the typical injuries of snowboarders and ski jumpers.
But old age can cause menisci tear.
Another cause is not an acute accident, but chronic overuse, for example, if you keep the knee constantly in an unnatural position or carry heavy weights improperly - furniture tugs or people working in the care of the disabled know the problem.
We differentiate according to the location and shape of the crack between a meniscal tear in the anterior, middle or posterior third, as well as between vertical, horizontal, transverse or flap-like cracks.
In most cases, the cracks develop on the inner meniscus, the meniscus medialis, which is firmly fused, therefore immobile and thus much more sensitive to beatings or bumps. In addition, almost half of all meniscal injuries occur in the posterior third of this internal meniscus. Men are often affected twice as often as women.
A traumatic meniscal tear is usually caused by sports injuries, if they distort the knee joint or abruptly stop - typical of tennis, football, handball, skiing, inline skating or skateboarding and acrobatic exercises.
A particularly high risk exists when their meniscus is already overloaded, for example, by permanent heavy physical work, age or diseases of the knee joints and they also exercise potentially stressful sports.
In case of chronic overloading, tiny cracks develop in the meniscus, which you hardly notice. Now, even a small stretch, for example, when they squat, so that the meniscus tears.
Also congenital malpositions such as the so-called X-legs or the "disk meniscus" increase the risk of contracting a meniscus.
Other causes
- Osteochondral fracture: Sounds complicated, but it's easy to explain. If parts of the articular cartilage break off due to injuries, this often leads to edema in the knee.
- Cruciate Ligament Tear: Tear the cruciate ligaments or one of them, water can accumulate in the knee.
- Patellar Luxation: A dislocation of the patella means the kneecap will pop out. If this happens only partially, the term is subluxation. In both cases, fluid may spill into the knee.
One cause can be a cruciate ligament tear. Image: Henrie - fotolia operations
After surgery on the knee joint, a knee joint effusion may form. Usually, the collection lasts about 3 weeks. This is a normal reaction: the operation irritates the mucous membrane of the joint, and it produces more fluid in response.
Such effusions are harmless, usually pass by themselves or can be relieved by a puncture, in which fluid can leak.
It looks different when the knee joint becomes infected. Then an inflammatory effusion may arise, and in an emergency, the knee joint fills with pus.
Home remedy for water in the knees
If you suffer from water in the knee, then you should go to the doctor. However, you can alleviate the symptoms yourself - with simple means.
Keep your leg still and do a bath with sea salt. Place quark on a damp cloth and wrap it around the affected joint.
Cold is effective against the swelling, but do not apply cold packs directly to the skin, but wrap the ice in tucker, for example, or fill a rubber container with ice cubes. Fluid in the knee after a trauma or surgery is a normal reaction. It usually does not need to be punctured because the water disappears when the wound heals.
But that takes time, sometimes you spend months plaguing yourself. Protect your knee at this time, so avoid forms of stress, be it through exercise or hard physical work.
pregnancy
The more the child in the womb increases in weight, the more burden the weight on the knee joints. They are constantly under pressure now. Often, this leads to an eructation, the body responds to the overload, by producing more synovial fluid.
The weight of the fetus also presses on the vena cava in the pelvis, and this may slow the transport of the noxious blood to the heart - as a result, fluid accumulates in the knees, hands and feet.
In some cases, physiotherapy can help. Image: Andrey Popov - fotolia dot
A joint puncture is usually performed by an orthopedist or surgeon. Specialists distinguish between bloodless and bloody knee joint effusions. In a knee injury, the fluid removed is red, in a healthy joint clear.
If a hematoma is present, the orthopedist will drain as much blood as possible from the knee joint, as the accumulation can damage the cartilage, and the knee joint provokes an inflammatory reaction.
Prevent water in the knee
In old people often rheumatic diseases and the so-called activated arthritis lead to water in the knee.
The better the condition of your body, the more you control injuries due to overworking, ie the stronger the connective tissue, the bones and muscles are, the more stable your knee is.
If you are a high-risk patient, physiotherapy will help you with exercises that prevent knee joint effusion. This includes gait school, because many knee injuries are caused by wrong walking, this includes a muscle and coordination training, and this includes occupational therapy.
You should also learn relaxation exercises to relieve muscles, tendons and ligaments. In addition, stretching exercises help to keep the knee joint moving. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)