Prepatellar Bursitis, the medical term popularly known as Knee bursitis, is a condition that makes your knee swell. When the Bursa sac in form of the knee cap becomes inflamed, you see this condition occur.
But is this condition treatable? Yes, it is. In most cases, prepatellar Bursitis can be treated at home only with rest. But it can be annoying, and the recovery may take some time.
Knee Bursitis does not discriminate against its victims. It can happen to anyone. But men ( 80%) are usually most affected by this disease.
Are you having trouble with Knee bursitis? Then, this article will help you with valuable info related to its treatment. Most importantly, you will learn how long does knee bursitis last. SO, without any delay, let me explain it to you.
What Are Knee Bursitis?
So, before I tell you how long knee bursitis lasts, you need to know what knee bursitis is. There are other names for this disease. For instance, Knee bursitis, coal miner’s knee, carpenter’s knee, or the carpenter’s knee. There is a sac called the bursa sac in front of your knee.
The inflammation of this sac is called knee bursitis. When the bursa sac is inflamed, irritated, or damaged, too much fluid gathers in the bursa sac. As a result, the extra fluid causes swelling in your knees. The swelling is visible from the outside and you feel joint pain on your knee.
Anyone between the age of 40 to 60 can get Knee bursitis. There are some jobs or work that require people to kneel frequently. For instance, people doing cleaning, plumbing, and other similar jobs may experience knee bursitis.
What Causes Knee Bursitis?
Knee bursitis is caused due to several reasons. Kneeling on the hard surface frequently is one of many reasons. But, three are many other reasons discussed below –
- Direct injury to the knee: Often, having a direct injury to the knee causes knee bursitis. It may happen due to a trauma to the knee or getting hit by something, or by falling down.
- Bacterial Infection: Your bursa sac may be infected through knee injury like a scratch, insect bite, or a cut. Bacterial infarction on the knee can also cause knee bursitis.
- Kneeling: As I said before, this is the commonest reason for having knee bursitis. If you are doing something that requires you to kneel frequently, then there is a chance you might develop knee bursitis.
Symptoms Of Knee Bursitis
When you have knee bursitis, you will face these symptoms –
Swelling
When you have knee bursitis, the front of your knee will swell. The swollen bursa sac at the front of your knee will be visible, and you can see and feel it. It feels squishy when you tap on your knee. Unless you are undergoing treatment, your knee might swell even more.
It May Limits Your Movement
Mild cases of knee bursitis do not affect you that much. However, if the case is severe, it is tough to move around with a swollen knee.
Pain And Tenderness
Most mild cases of knee bursitis do not arouse any pain. However, some experience tenderness or mild achiness on their knees.
Pain at Rest
Sometimes, knee bursitis does bring pain even when one is resting. The persistence of this pain can interfere with sleep and everyday life.
Pain at the Side or Back of the Knee
There are also various bursae surrounding the knee joint that may be involved in knee bursitis. The inflammation of the bursae on either side or at the back of the knee can cause pain.
Pain Gradually Worsening
Bursitis of the knee may evolve slowly with symptoms. Initially, it may present as a minor ache or pain, which gradually increases, especially when one’s work involves repetitive stress or trauma. If the pain is not reducing, you can opt for knee surgery and get the right treatment from the professionals.
Warmth and Redness
The knee can be hot to the touch. It may also have a reddish tinge. This means that more blood is going to the irritated bursae, which shows an expected reaction to swelling.
How Long Does Knee Bursitis Last?
Now, onto the most important question about Knee bursitis – how long does Bursitis in the knee last? If you are having this problem, then what you need the most is rest. After treatment and days of rest, the swelling usually goes away within a couple of weeks.
In most cases, resting your knees helps you. But, if the swelling and the pain do not reduce after days of rest, you need to the healthcare provider and get it treated.
How To Treat Knee Bursitis?
Usually, you can treat it at home by resting your knee and adding compression and ice to it. But, some of the most severe cases require medical attention. In such cases, the doctors will usually prescribe you to go through an X-ray, a CT scan, or MRI.
Also, the doctor often diagnoses patients with bursa infections. In such cases, they will drain the fluid out of your bursa sac using a fine needle.
Would physiotherapy work on long-term knee bursitis?
Do we not all wonder about how long knee bursitis lasts?
Yes!
But, sometimes, it can persist.
Physiotherapy can also be beneficial for patients with knee bursitis. Qualified physiotherapists may help treat the symptoms and causes using an individualized treatment regimen for knee bursitis.
Physiotherapy interventions for knee bursitis often include:
- Pain Management: Physiotherapy involves different methods for relieving pain, including hot or cold application, ultrasound massage, and electrical currents.
- Range of Motion Exercises: These are specific exercises that aim at improving the elasticity and the motion distance of the affected knee. It promotes fluidity in the joint, which prevents stiffness, increases joint function, and helps people be mobile.
- Strengthening Exercises: By providing additional support, the muscles around the knee are strengthened, thereby limiting the stress placed on the afflicted bursae.
- Biomechanical Assessment: Movement patterns and biomechanics are examined by physiotherapists, revealing predisposing factors and anomalies. If addressed, these problems can reduce the chances of developing a recurrence of bursitis.
- Manual Therapy: Applying hands-on techniques like massages and mobilization will improve the flexibility of tissues and tension around the knee.
- Functional Rehabilitation: Physiotherapists help patients go through exercise that resembles actual movements in their daily routines, such that the knee can cope with these activities and the consequent inflammations without aggravating them even more.
- Education and Prevention: Other aspects of physiotherapy include educating the patient about the condition and how it can be managed at home showing the patient ways of preventing recurrences and knee bursitis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you know what Knee bursitis is and how long it lasts, you may still have more questions that need answering. Here are some questions and answers for further clarification.
Ans: The best way to ease Knee bursitis are as follows –
⦿ First, you need to ease the pain.
⦿ Give your knees the rest they need.
⦿ Reduce the activity that caused it.
⦿ Apply ice over it and take pain relievers.
⦿ Apply compression to your knee.
Ans: The best thing in this condition is to take some rest. It is best not to indulge in activities that increase knee bursitis. But you can do light walking or minimal movements to make your legs feel relaxed.
Ans: Many of us often mistake Bursitis for arthritis since the main symptom feels similar. Both in knee bursitis and in arthritis, a patient feels joint pain. The inflammation in the knee due to Bursitis causes joint pain. Hence it is often mistaken for arthritis.
Ans: If left untreated, Bursitis can last for days or weeks, or in some cases, it can also last for months. Overuse of the knee, while it is suffering from knee bursitis may worsen the case. When instead of the treatment, the patient overworks themselves, they eventually end up having trouble for more than a month.
Bottom Line
This knee condition requires more rest than medication. So, when you are asking how long knee bursitis last, it easily boils down to how long you are resting. After reading this article, there should be able to understand the time it requires you to recover from knee bursitis.
If you have any further queries, you can ask me in the comment section. You can also share your feedback about the topic here.
Read Also:
