Right knee bursitis
Our right and left knees each have eleven bursae.
Bursae, which are small bags in the joint, facilitate joint movements and reduce joint wear.
Direct blows, traumas, infection, excessive joint activity, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. are the causes of bursa irritation and inflammation.
Right knee bursitis is actually the inflammation of the bursa of the right knee.
In this article, we want to examine the most common causes, the most common symptoms of right knee bursitis and their types.
Bursae
There are small sacs in all the joints of our body
The location of these sacs is between the skin and the tendon, between the tendons, between the tendon and the bone, and generally between the joint components.
The task of these small sacs, which are called bursae, is to facilitate joint movements and these small sacs prevent the friction of joint components.
What is right knee bursitis?
The inner wall of these small sacs are covered by cells that secrete a jelly-like substance that fills the inside of the bursa.
Excessive movement of the right knee joint, for example, due to heavy exercise or bending the right knee excessively, direct blows and traumas to the right knee joint, and infections following tearing of the knee skin and…cause bursa irritation.
Stimulation of right knee bursae will cause inflammation of their membrane cells.
The inflammation of the cells of the bursa wall is accompanied by an increase in the jelly-like secreted substance and as a result swelling and increasing the size of the bursa.
Inflammation of each bursa of the right knee is called bursitis of the right knee.
The swollen bursa puts pressure on the nerve fibers and adjacent tissues and causes symptoms of right knee bursitis.
Causes of right knee bursitis
- Intense physical activity
- Excessive bending and straightening of the knee
- Direct blow
- Background problems of the knee joint such as arthrosis and problems of menisci and ligaments
- Manipulations of the right knee joint, such as right knee surgery
- knee joint replacement
- Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or joint rheumatism, systemic lupus, joint psoriasis
- joint aspiration and….
Types of right knee bursitis
- Pes Anserine Bursitis or MCL bursitis
- Prepatellar bursitis
- Toxic tendinous bursitis
- Semitendinosus bursitis
And…
Symptoms
Pain in the right knee joint, especially when moving, bending and straightening the knee is the main and most common symptom of the right knee bursitis
Each bursitis is different depending on its location and the area that causes pain.
Sensitivity to the touch of the right knee
Sometimes swelling of the right knee
Decreased range of motion of the right knee
In some cases, knee locking
Limping
- If there is septic bursitis of the right knee:
Very severe and increasing pain that does not respond to painkillers and rest
Fever (sometimes there is no fever)
General lethargy
Severe reduction in the range of motion of the right knee
Visible and increasing swelling of the right knee
Warmth of the right knee joint to the touch
Redness of the skin on the right knee
and the inability of the affected person to put weight on the affected leg
Is right knee bursitis dangerous?
Non-septic bursitis knee often recovers with supportive care treatments and does not cause serious and dangerous problems, but unlike non-septic bursitis of the right knee, septic bursitis of the right knee is a medical emergency that can become very dangerous if left untreated.
Right knee bursitis after knee surgery
It is said that knee manipulations can cause irritation of the right knee bursae and right knee bursitis.
For example, intra-articular injections can irritate the bursa.
Aspiration of joint fluid can also cause right knee bursitis.
There is also a possibility of bursitis after knee surgeries, it is said that 20% of people have knee pain for example, due to right knee bursitis, after total knee replacement.
Risk factor of right knee bursitis
- age increasing
- Heavy physical activity
- Excessive bending and straightening of the knee
- Direct blow to the knees
- People with knee surgeries and manipulations
- Background problems of the right knee joint: arthrosis and..
- Autoimmune joint diseases: Rheumatoid arthritis
- Systemic lupus
- joint psoriasis
- And people with type 2 diabetes; according to statistics, twenty-five to seventy-five percent of these people will experience Pes Anserine Bursitis of the knee.
Diagnosis of right knee bursitis
Diagnosis of bursitis is mainly based on history and clinical examination.
The doctor takes a complete history of your accompanying symptoms then he asks about your medical history, the type of your job and work, and the history of trauma, fall or accident, and according to the differential diagnoses, he performs a proper joint examination.
In some cases, it may be necessary to aspirate the bursa fluid and send it to the laboratory for culture and analysis. Sometimes imaging such as a plain X-ray of the knee and an MRI of the knee, is used to rule out other diagnoses.
Blood tests may sometimes be necessary to rule out or confirm some problems, such as infections or autoimmune diseases
But in general, most of the times the diagnosis of right knee bursitis is only clinical.
Treatment of right knee bursitis
Most non-septic right knee bursitis will improve with supportive care as follows:
- Resting and limiting the activities leading to the onset or aggravation of right knee pain
- Cold compress
- keeping the affected leg elevated
- Non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and celecoxib for a short period of time
- And
- Physiotherapy
If there is septic bursitis of the right knee:
Prescribing oral antibiotics for patients without immunodeficiency and diabetes and underlying disease is mandatory.
Hospitalization and injection of antibiotics is mandatory for high-risk patients.
Also, intra-articular injections help to improve inflammation.
Final word
Inflammation of the bursae of the right knee is called right knee bursitis, which is accompanied by knee pain during activity and bending and straightening of the knee.
Decreased range of motion of the right knee and sensitivity to touch are also common in right knee bursitis.
The presence of fever, redness, warmth, swelling, and increasing pain indicates that the bursitis of the right knee is septic, which will require an emergency visit, and if neglected, it can cause serious and dangerous complications.
Non-septic cases of knee bursitis can be resolved with care and physiotherapy, but in case of septic bursitis of the right knee appropriate antibiotic treatment will be required.