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List of All Topics
Knee Bursitis
Introduction
Knee bursitis is inflammation of a bursa located near your knee joint. A bursa is a small fluid-filled, pad-like sac that reduces friction between moving parts in your knee — bone and skin, bone and muscle, bone and tendons, or tendons and muscles.
If you have knee bursitis, one or more of the 11 bursae associated with each of your knees may be inflamed. Knee bursitis causes pain and can limit your mobility.
Treatment for knee bursitis often includes a combination of self-care practices and doctor-administered treatments to alleviate pain and inflammation.
Signs and Symptoms
In most cases, knee bursitis begins gradually, and it may worsen over time if left untreated. If you have knee bursitis, the affected portion of your knee may:
- Feel warm to your touch.
- Appear swollen or feel squishy to your touch.
- Be painful or tender when you move or put pressure on your knee.
Your doctor may use one of the following terms to describe your condition and indicate the location of the inflamed bursa:
- Prepatellar bursitis, or kneecap bursitis, affects the bursa that lies in front of your kneecap (patella), between the patella and your skin. Kneecap bursitis, one of the most common forms of the disorder, may be referred to as housemaid's knee or carpet layer's knee because it affects people who frequently work on their hands and knees.
- Pes anserine bursitis is inflammation of a bursa that lies at the inner lower part of the knee, between your shinbone (tibia) and three tendons connected to the hamstring muscles on the inside of your leg. This type of knee bursitis, also more common than others, is sometimes called goosefoot bursitis because the three tendons somewhat resemble the shape of a goosefoot.
- Infrapatellar superficial bursitis affects the bursa that lies below your kneecap, between your skin and the tendon that connects the kneecap and tibia. This type of bursitis, associated with frequent kneeling, is sometimes called preacher's knee.
- Medial collateral ligament bursitis affects a bursa between the tibia and a ligament on the inner side of your knee that connects the tibia and thighbone (femur). Inflammation of this bursa usually results from a twisting injury to your knee.
Causes
Frequent and sustained pressure on the affected bursa most often causes knee bursitis.
Other causes of knee bursitis include:
- A severe blow to your knee directly causing inflammation of a bursa.
- A severe blow causing internal bleeding into a bursa that subsequently induces inflammation (hemorrhagic bursitis).
- Frequent falls on your knee.
- Bacterial infection of the bursa (infectious or septic bursitis).
- Complications from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or gout in your knee.
Your doctor will most likely prescribe a course of self-care to treat knee bursitis. However, if you don't respond well to self-care treatments or the pain and inflammation are severe, he or she may recommend one of the following interventions:
- Corticosteroid injection. Your doctor can inject a corticosteroid drug directly into an affected bursa to reduce inflammation. The inflammation usually subsides rapidly, but you may experience pain and swelling from the injection for a couple of days. You may alleviate these side effects by applying an ice pack at the injection site and taking an anti-inflammatory drug as directed by your doctor.
Your doctor won't give you a corticosteroid injection if you have hemorrhagic or infectious bursitis. - Aspiration. Your doctor may aspirate a bursa to reduce excess fluid and treat inflammation. He or she will insert a needle directly into the affected bursa and draw fluid into the syringe. As with a corticosteroid injection, aspiration may cause short-term pain and swelling.
If you have hemorrhagic bursitis, your doctor will aspirate the bursa to remove blood. - Antibiotics. If an infection has caused the knee bursitis, your doctor will prescribe a course of antibiotic treatment.
- Physical therapy. Your doctor may refer you to a physical therapist or specialist in sports medicine, who can help you learn appropriate exercises to improve flexibility and strengthen muscles. This therapy may alleviate pain and reduce your risk of recurring episodes of knee bursitis.
- Surgery. On rare occasions — if you have severe chronic bursitis and don't respond to other treatments — your doctor may recommend a bursectomy, or surgical removal of a bursa.
You can take a number of steps to avoid knee bursitis or prevent its recurrence:
- Wear kneepads when you're working on your knees or participating in sports that put your knees at risk.
- Rest your knees and stretch your legs as much as possible if you work on your knees for extended periods.
- Stretch your legs before and after a workout.
- Vary your exercise routine to give your knees a rest.
- Elevate and ice your knees for about 20 minutes after a workout or after working on your knees for a long time.
Information obtained from National Institute of Health