Knee bursitis can be incredibly painful and prevent you from enjoying daily life. Worse, it can become a recurring condition without the appropriate care.
As specialists in pain medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), our Florida Pain Medicine team completes a thorough knee evaluation and recommends treatments to relieve bursitis-related knee pain.
Bursa are thin sacs containing a small amount of thick fluid. These sacs are strategically located in the knee joint (and all the joints in your body), serving as cushions between bones and soft tissues (ligaments, tendons, muscles, and skin).
Each small, slippery bursa supports pain-free movement by reducing friction and allowing the soft tissues to glide smoothly over the bones. However, an irritated bursa produces too much fluid, resulting in swelling and inflammation (bursitis).
Knee bursitis typically affects the bursa in front of the kneecap (prepatellar bursitis) but can also develop outside the knee. For example, the hamstring tendons run along the sides of the knee and connect to the shinbone (tibia), where the bursae lie between the tissues.
The top causes of knee bursitis include:
Intense athletics demanding repetitive knee movement and kneeling, whether required by your job or a hobby like gardening, increase your risk because they put significant stress on the knee bursae.
If an injury or infection causes your knee bursitis, you’ll experience rapid pain and swelling. In most cases, bursitis develops gradually and begins with minor twinges of pain when active.
If you don’t rest the knee or seek treatment, the inflammation worsens, and your symptoms increase.
No matter the cause, bursitis causes symptoms such as:
You should seek immediate treatment if you have significant swelling, can’t use your knee, or develop a fever and chills (signs of an infection).
Bursitis that doesn't arise from an injury or infection often heals on its own — but only if you take care of the knee. The bursa needs time to heal, so you must rest the knee and avoid kneeling and activities that put stress and pressure on the joint.
You can also use ice packs to reduce inflammation and take over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen, naproxen, and ibuprofen. However, don’t take medications longer than 10 days or exceed the recommended dosage.
Sometimes, bursitis doesn’t heal with self-care, and your symptoms keep getting worse. The condition can also turn into a chronic problem that causes long-lasting swelling and pain. In both cases, you should seek care from our experienced team.
We recommend one or more of the following to reduce inflammation and promote healing:
After your bursitis improves, we create a plan to prevent the problem from recurring, which might include:
Though most people only need to avoid activities while healing, you may need to make long-term changes if your bursitis turns into a chronic or recurring condition. For example, it may help to regularly switch your activities to avoid the same stressful movement.
Seek help to prevent complications
The longer the bursa remains inflamed, the higher the chance bursitis becomes a chronic problem. Our highly qualified team provides exceptional care that keeps you pain-free and active.
Schedule a knee evaluation today by using online booking or calling Florida Pain Medicine today.
