Knee Bursitis - Prepatellar, Infrapatellar, Suprapatellar Bursitis

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Knee bursitis

Knee bursitis is an inflammatory disease. It affects the periarticular bags of the knee joint with the accumulation of exudate in them. The knee joint is the most vulnerable due to its position and fragility, which is why it needs the utmost attention.

Content:

• Knee bursitis causes
• Knee bursitis symptoms
• Types of knee bursitis
• Diagnostics
• How is knee bursitis treated?
• Prevention

Knee bursitis causes

The main reasons for the development of bursitis are:

• prolonged stress on the knee joint (as a result of which the muscles are constantly in a tense state and, as a result, gradually become thinner);
• damage to the skin in the area of the knee joint (this can be a catalyst for the formation of infections);
• open wounds in the knee area;
• any form of sepsis (has a positive effect on infection and the formation of cysts, including numerous);



• an excessively high body index (for this reason, there is also a significant load on the knee joint, as a result of which it remains weakened);
• concomitant diseases, for example, rheumatoid arthritis, gout or psoriasis (you need to be especially careful with them, because they provoke the formation of a chronic form of bursitis).

Moreover, each of the types of bursitis is characterized by individual provoking factors, more on this later in the article.

Knee bursitis symptoms

Signs of knee bursitis are as follows:

• painful sensations;
• change in the shape of the knee;
• slight swelling in the soft tissue area (soft tissues change color, which remains unchanged for a week);
• redness and changes in the skin to the touch (the skin becomes hot);
• inability to exercise movement in the knee joint.

The severity and nature of manifestations depend on the localization of bursitis.

Types of knee bursitis

There are three types of knee bursitis, namely prepatellar, infrapatellar and suprapatellar. Baker's cysts, which are tumors in the popliteal region and septic bursitis, should be included in a special group.

The name of each of the types of bursitis presented is just a type of bursa located in the knee joint. If it is damaged and is not healed in time, it becomes inflamed and suppuration, which is a late stage bursitis. Depending on its location, problems may arise within the framework of treatment and even diagnosis.

Knee prepatellar bursitis

The peculiarity of the prepatellar bursitis of the knee joint is that it is located in the upper part. This pathology begins to manifest itself slightly above the patella. At the same time, pain syndrome is noted in the process of extension and flexion of the knee. The prepatellar type manifests itself even more intensively with increasing load.

Its diagnosis and subsequent treatment are extremely simple and do not present any difficulties. It is this type of disease that most often manifests itself in people over 60 years old and takes on chronic forms. With this development of events, treatment is almost impossible or ineffective. In this connection, a person loses the ability to move fully.

Baker's cysts

Baker's cyst is a growth in the fossa under the knee that is soft and elastic to the touch. This cyst is characterized by the fact that the skin over the swelling remains of a normal shade and, at the same time, it is not welded to the adjacent tissues. Thus, it can be easily identified by touch without even being an expert.

The neoplasm is most intense when the knee is in an extended state. In the process of bending, its size becomes smaller or it ceases to be visible to the eye at all. With more significant parameters of the Baker cyst, swelling in the area of the knee joint may become evident.

The main complaints should be considered:

• lack of comfort, feeling of pressure and soreness in the area under the knee;
• the presence of swelling in this area;
• inability to move in the knee joint;
• sudden blockage of the knee muscles.

Treatment of education can be either conservative or surgical. The second method is much more efficient and often used.

Infrapatellar bursitis of the knee

Infrapatellar bursitis of the knee causes inflammation of the bursa beneath the patella area near the main tendon. The reason for the formation of such bursitis is most often the injury of one of the tendons next to the synovial bursa.

Mostly, this is an occupational disease that occurs in athletes - runners and jumpers. Therefore, very often it becomes chronic and, at the same time, may be due to genetic factors.

Septic bursitis of the knee

This form of the disease is revealed as a consequence of the infection, which, in turn, begins to develop, being a consequence of the active influence of microbes.

Penetration in this case is carried out through an injured skin or minor injury. In certain situations, the cause of the inflammatory process of the periarticular bags is such microbes that are inside the body and provoke ailments in other organs and tissues.

This form is characterized by a severe course, and its treatment must be carried out as soon as possible, because, if it is not carried out on time, the formation of gangrene and amputation is likely.

Suprapatellar bursitis of the knee

A characteristic feature should be considered the presence of a round tumor in the upper region of the knee joint, which does not hurt. At the same time, it has a soft consistency and dimensions up to 10 centimeters.

Patients, on the other hand, are faced with serious signs of ailment, such as malaise, painful sensations in the knee area, decreased knee mobility, high temperature, which does not decrease during the day.

In certain cases, the transition of this type of bursitis to a chronic form is likely due to deposits in the joint area of calcium salts. With such a diagnosis, a surgical intervention is carried out, the purpose of which is to remove all deposits from the joint.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of the presented ailment is a fairly simple process if there is an inflammation of such a bag, which is located on the surface.

In any case, the diagnostic algorithm is based on the usual signs of the clinical type. Also, the determination of the diagnosis can be facilitated by puncturing the bursa cavity. This makes it possible to identify by the content what the nature of the inflammatory process is, which may turn out to be purulent, serous, purulent-hemorrhagic.

As part of the diagnostics, it is necessary to establish the characteristics of the microflora, the degree of its sensitivity to drugs. This will help to map out further treatment and identify preventive measures.

How is knee bursitis treated?

If we talk about aseptic bursitis, then conservative methods of treatment will be more than effective for a speedy recovery. First of all, those who are sick should be provided with complete rest, maintain an elevated knee position. This is done in order to reduce blood flow to the knee area, it immediately reduces soreness and significantly reduces swelling.

Compresses with the addition of ice should be applied to the knee area several times a day, but it is recommended to leave them for no more than twenty minutes. The specialist should evaluate the inflammation and, if it is not too pronounced, it is likely that he will advise simple and effective exercises. They will provide the optimal degree of mobility in the knee area.

When inflammation is associated with severe pain, the specialist prescribes anti-inflammatory drugs, which are used either internally or as a cream. Often we are talking about corticosteroids, which are introduced into the area of the synovial bag. If there is a suspicion of infection, then the specialist prescribes antibiotics.

In order to prescribe antibiotics, there are not always enough signs of a clinical nature, it may be necessary to carry out laboratory research methods.

To significantly reduce the volume of fluid in the inner part of the bursa, fluid is pumped out from the area of the bursa. As a result of these actions, not only swelling, but also painful sensations is noticeably reduced. Samples of the available liquid are sent for analysis to a special laboratory.

The resulting test results make it possible to find out which of the antibiotics are best suited to combat a specific flora.

Speaking of Baker's cyst, which can appear in childhood, it should be noted that treatment is not required in many cases. When the course of the disease occurs without accompanied by pronounced symptoms, the doctor does not intervene and the disease passes after a certain time.

With chronic bursitis, as well as with significant infection, when drugs do not have the desired effect, it may be necessary to perform surgery. In this case, a drainage is placed in the bursa or bursectomy is performed.

Hospitalization is not always necessary to successfully get rid of bursitis. In the event that bursitis does not have any signs of infection, then the treatment process can be carried out at home. At the same time, at the slightest increase in signs or the emergence of a new symptom of the disease, it is necessary to consult a specialist as soon as possible.

Prevention

In order to avoid repeated inflammation of the synovial area, it is advisable to bring the treatment to full recovery, so that the motility of the joint has time to recover in the required volume. In the future, you should monitor the strengthening of the leg muscles. For this, special exercises are best suited, it is also recommended to avoid hypothermia in the knee area so that the supply of blood to the muscular system is always sufficient.

Anyone who has suffered any form of knee bursitis should periodically use elastic patella. It is they who will support the knee and provide a compression effect that will reduce the degree of stress on the knee joint. In addition, all people who have encountered bursitis are advised to exclude those manipulations that are accompanied by emphasis on the knee area. Together with drugs, it is necessary to carry out massage, physiotherapeutic procedures (electrophoresis, restoration with paraffin, as well as a magnet). Special physical education can also be effective.

All this is carried out already at the last stage of treatment. The purpose of these measures is to completely eliminate inflammation, stabilize the knee and expand the range of motion in the presented joint.

Thus, today there are a lot of methods for treating knee bursitis and each of them is effective. That is why it is important to notice the manifestations of the disease in time, because in this case it will be possible to get rid of it in a matter of weeks without serious emotional and material costs.

Author of the article: Kaplan Alexander Sergeevich | Orthopedist

Education: diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received in 2009 at the Medical Academy. I. M. Sechenov. In 2012 completed postgraduate studies in Traumatology and Orthopedics at the City Clinical Hospital named after Botkin at the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgery.