Chronic Knee Swelling - Causes and Treatment Options

We put a lot of stress and strain on our knee joints every single day, so it may not be surprising to see some swelling in one or both knees, after a particularly hard physical day. Normal knees can endure a lot before they swell. If swelling occurs, we need to determine why. Worse, if you begin to notice that swelling is developing more frequently, especially if you haven’t been all that active, you’ll want to consult with a knee specialist or check out Dr. Reznik’s The Knee & Shoulder Handbook which has a section on why knees swell. In today’s blog, we talk more about why you may be experiencing chronic knee swelling and how to treat the issue.

Causes Of Chronic Knee Swelling

Extra fluid can build up in the knee region for many different reasons, but oftentimes this fluid retention is part of your body’s response to trauma to the knee joint. As we mentioned above, chronic or acute stress on the knee joint can trigger swelling or an inflammatory response, as can other issues like:

• Ligament damage
• Meniscus tears
• Loose bodies (floating cartilage pieces) in the knee
• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sprains
• Bone fractures
• Dislocations
• Tendonitis
• Infections (and don’t forget Lyme’s disease)
• Bone spurs
• Cyst formation
• Mechanical Problems (dysfunction)

Sometimes an underlying injury will be the cause of your swelling, while other times a completely different issue is to blame. The key to successful treatment is to know what you’re up against, and that will require a physical exam.

Set up an appointment with your primary care physician or a knee specialist in your area. Talk about your symptoms and let them get a better look at your knee with a physical exam. Don’t be surprised if they order an X-ray to get an inside look at your knee function to determine the true cause of your discomfort. Standing X-rays also help sort out alignment and loss of cartilage issues. Once they’ve homed in on the problem, they can walk you through your treatment options.

Treating Chronic Knee Swelling

Because chronic knee swelling can be caused by a host of different issues, your treatment protocol will be tailored to your individual needs. For example, for patients dealing with knee swelling caused by biomechanical issues or repetitive stress, a combination of short-term rest and targeted physical therapy may provide time for swelling to resolve before the focus shifts to strengthening the knee and its supportive structures. PT and related strength training exercises can do wonders for patients whose joint issues are tied to an overuse injury.

Others may need some more hands-on care depending on their root cause. For example, lifestyle changes like dietary improvements, increased exercise and weight loss may prove beneficial for patients dealing with arthritis-related joint swelling, while patients dealing with larger tissue tears may require a minimally invasive corrective procedure to stabilize the injured tissue and allow inflammation to resolve. Patients with bone spurs or cysts may need a debridement procedure to remove the offending structure from the area to restore normal joint function. There are several different ways your doctor can work to address your chronic knee swelling. Of course, care needs to be molded to the root cause of your swelling, otherwise it’s unlikely you’ll achieve the best results.

Don’t let knee swelling keep you from pursuing the activities you enjoy. Oftentimes effective treatment is simpler than patients realize, but it starts by connecting with a professional and learning about the underlying swelling cause. You can learn more about knee anatomy and causes of knee swelling with the help of The Knee & Shoulder Handbook, or you can consult a local care team who can visualize your knee in person. And as always, you can click here to connect with Dr. Reznik if you have any questions or need an appointment.