Bruised knee, swollen: what to do at home? How to remove and treat a tumor?

The reasons why legs swell can be very diverse. Few people even think about the consequences that are provoked by such a seemingly everyday problem. You should not leave a tumor above the knee without proper attention and treatment, even in cases where bending your leg does not hurt at all. This may lead to complications, which will require the help of a surgeon to eliminate.

Knee structure

Before examining various injuries, their causes and symptoms, you should understand the structure of the knee. This will allow you to better understand the mechanics of injuries and the principle of treatment.

When talking about the knee, most people mean the knee joint. This is exactly what we will talk about now.

Let's look at the features of its structure and find out its functions:

in the formation of the joint : femur, tibia, knee.
Inside the knee joint there are cartilage plates called menisci. They are located between the femur and tibia. In fact, these plates divide the entire joint into two equal parts.
The knee joint provides movement in three planes: vertical, horizontal and frontal.
The main components of the knee joint: cartilaginous plate, synovial bursa, bone epiphyses, joint cavity and capsule, knee ligaments.

In general, it is worth saying that the structure of the knee joint is quite complex. In many ways, the joint is similar to the elbow, but unlike the latter, the knee is capable of withstanding enormous loads.

Knee injury - causes

A knee injury is one of the most common and popular injuries.

Let's look at the main causes of bruises:

Fall to one knee. Most often, it is a fall on the knee that causes a bruise. Depending on the force of the impact and the surface, the bruise can be mild or severe. Very often, athletes (football players, hockey players) are susceptible to such bruises, who are often prone to falls during training and games. Such injuries can often occur in childhood, when children do not look at their feet or are just learning to walk. But in childhood, serious bruises are very rare, most often only scratches. Adults also run the risk of getting hurt if they fall; most often this happens during icy conditions.
A blow to the knee area. The cause of the bruise can be a blow, for example, this often happens in sports. But you can also get a blow in an ordinary everyday situation by hitting your knee on any hard surface.

Causes of swelling above the knee

A human limb such as a leg constantly experiences not only various external loads. Swelling above the knee can be caused by various diseases. Therefore, such neoplasms are divided into two corresponding groups.

External factors

Any, even the most ordinary load on a joint can damage it, including running, playing sports, and even regular walking. Inflammation occurs, metabolism is disrupted, which is why fluid begins to accumulate in the problem area. Swelling above the knee in this case can be either invisible, barely noticeable, or quite large in size (occupying an area of 8-9 cm or more above the knee).

This situation often overtakes people who lead an active lifestyle and play sports, when it is possible to damage not only the cup. Most often, football players and hockey players suffer; due to physiological characteristics and physical laws, sprains and sometimes rupture of ligaments occur. The mechanism of such damage is as follows: when the body moves, at a certain moment it continues to move by inertia, when the person’s foot and leg are already motionless. It turns out that the femur moves around its axis, but the tibia does not, which causes injuries, which are characterized by the following symptoms:

The knee hurts, both in front and behind. Can't even bend my leg
The swelling that appears and grows is of considerable size,
There are no exceptions when the skin acquires a bluish-purple tint - this is a hematoma formed due to damaged capillaries.

Read also: Swollen legs: what to do at home?

This list of symptoms is common for other physical injuries.

This group also includes:

Hypothermia. In this case, swelling above the knee forms only after some time,
Hidden fractures. The leg will also hurt, so if any swelling appears that does not go away in a short time, you need to consult a doctor,
Tendinitis. This disease occurs against the background of excessive physical exertion and is characterized by inflammation of the tendons and swelling above the knee. If this disease is ignored, the tendons can completely atrophy.

Internal factors

This includes various diseases and malfunctions in the body, which are accompanied by individual symptoms and characteristics. If you have a tumor above your knee for such reasons, then there is no single treatment, and the doctor will have to prescribe a course depending on the root of the problem. It is impossible to consider all such cases, however, there are episodes that are observed more often than others.

Bursitis

The tumor above the kneecap in this case is caused by the accumulation of exudate in the synovial bursa (also has a second name, bursa, after which the disease is named). This fluid is secreted by blood vessels during inflammation in the cavity and tissue. This swelling of the leg is accompanied by severe pain and difficulty moving.

In this case, surgical intervention cannot be avoided. Although no major intervention is required, a puncture must be performed by a specialist to ensure that all knee fluid is removed.

Gonarthrosis

This is the term for such an ailment as a degenerative-dystrophic process in the tissues of the knee joint. In simple words, the cartilage begins to thin out, the ligaments deteriorate, and the strength of the bone tissue itself is greatly reduced. The main risk group includes older people, as well as women during menopause.

In this case, swelling above the knee is accompanied by:

Sensation of crunching in the joint when moving,
Feeling stiff
In this case, the leg hurts a lot,

It is worth highlighting that overweight people are at risk, because the load on both the legs above and below the knees is directly proportional to a person’s weight.

Read also: What to do if your leg swells after a broken ankle?

Gout

This disease is characterized by the accumulation of uric acid in the joints. Although the fingers are often affected, sometimes this problem also occurs in the knee area. A tumor on the leg is also accompanied by the following symptoms:

Redness of the skin,
Intense pain.

Complications that arise due to untimely or inadequate treatment even include the patient’s disability.

Osteoporosis

In this case, the signs become more pronounced when weather conditions change. These include discomfort and pain when walking, which can have very different degrees of severity.

Polyarthritis

A tumor above the knee with this diagnosis is seasonal. Damage to one joint is a relatively rare occurrence; usually several areas are affected. The swelling that appears subsides quite quickly after its appearance, which causes a feeling that there is no problem. Naturally, the doctor will find out why there is swelling above the knee; you should not delay the visit, even if the swelling has subsided.

Varicose veins

A disease familiar to everyone, which occurs in the middle-aged female population. This illness is accompanied by heaviness in the legs, pain, and lumps due to the fact that the leg above the knee is swollen. When palpated, the affected area will be hot, but in severe cases, blood clots will form.

The problem with this disease is that the blood in the veins begins to move in both directions, so when in healthy people it circulates only to the heart.

Lymphostasis

In this episode, the problem is associated with nothing more than lymph and its stagnation. Any area from the toes to the entire thigh can become swollen on one or both legs.

Initially, no neoplasm is observed, only a slight darkening of the skin is visible. Only after some time does the limb swell more strongly and noticeably.

In addition, if you are overtaken by swelling of your leg above the knee, the cause may be one of the following diagnoses:

Cyst,
Arthritis,
Osteomyelitis,
Synovitis,
Osteochondritis,
Heart failure,
Kidney failure
Hernia,
Epicondylitis.

Malignant formations (cancer, etc.) are quite rare and are accompanied by various negative symptoms (pain, discomfort, heaviness in the legs, deterioration in general condition).

Read also: Why do my legs swell after a heart attack?

Mechanism of injury

A knee bruise is primarily an injury to the soft tissues of the knee joint. In the vast majority of cases, no fractures or dislocations are observed.

On the other hand, damage to the cartilage layer or disruption of the integrity of the ligamentous apparatus very often occurs.

As a result of the bruise, there is a violation of tissue microcirculation in the knee joint. Because of this, the knee begins to swell. The swelling spreads and puts pressure on surrounding tissues, causing increasing pain.

With severe bruises, joint bleeding may occur. As a result, suppuration in the knee joint or the formation of connective tissue is possible.

In this case, in the absence of timely treatment, periodic pain can haunt a person throughout his life.

Types of knee bruise

There are a number of different injuries to the knee joint in humans that can cause not only pain, but also more serious consequences.

At the moment, I would like to talk not just about a bruise that goes away within a few days, but about serious bruises that hide a number of unpleasant consequences.

Ligament injuries. The knee joint is connected not only by bones, but also by ligaments in the legs. Suffering a knee injury can lead to various injuries to the ligaments that are associated with the joint.
Meniscus damage. This occurs most often with bruises. The meniscus is damaged by a strong impact on a hard surface. As a result of the blow, the meniscus is completely torn or part of it is torn off. If a part comes off, it can begin to move around the joint cavity. The difference between a regular bruise and a bruise with damage to the meniscus is the difficulty in straightening or bending the leg at the knee joint.
Patella injuries. This most often happens when playing sports, falls, and also in people with a lot of weight. Often such injuries are difficult to distinguish from severe bruises. This can only be done using an x-ray.
Tendon rupture or sprain. You can get it in the same ways. The main difference from a regular bruise is unbearable pain. It is almost impossible to stand on your leg, bend it or fully straighten it.

When to see a doctor

Within a few days after first aid, the patient’s condition should gradually improve, and pain should subside every day. If the pain has not gotten better a week after the knee injury, you should consult a doctor.

Also, immediate consultation with a specialist is necessary if the following symptoms appear:

hematoma that has increased in size;
lump at the site of the injury;
pain when moving and crunching in the knee;
swelling, redness;
numbness of the knee, or, conversely, spontaneous movements;
joint deformity;
increased body temperature after injury;

The doctor will examine the site of the injury, order an x-ray or ultrasound if necessary, determine the risk of complications and prescribe treatment.

Despite its apparent harmlessness, a knee bruise can be associated with a crack or fracture of the bone, a meniscus tear, tears and inflammation in the tendons, twisted ligaments, internal bleeding, and hematomas.

Because there are many nerve endings in the knee joint, even a slight bruise can cause severe pain. Also in the knee joint there are muscle tissues, ligaments, cartilage, and blood vessels, damage to which leads to various disorders. For example, an untreated joint injury can cause arthritis (inflammation of the joints) or even osteoporosis (increased bone fragility).

For children, injuries are especially dangerous. The child’s body has not yet fully formed, and improperly provided care for a bruise can provoke a serious disruption in physical development.

Symptoms of a knee injury

It is worth saying that not only a simple bruise, but also any other knee injury has almost the same symptoms. That is why it is sometimes quite difficult to immediately understand how serious the damage is.

Let's look at the main list of symptoms:

Painful sensations. Most often they are permanent and intensify when bending/extending the leg, as well as when walking.
The inability to fully straighten or bend the leg at the knee indicates that the injury is quite serious.
Sometimes there is increased activity of the joint. More precisely, the knee seems to be dangling on its own. This feeling does not occur often and is a serious sign to contact a specialist.
Swelling. Almost always, the knee begins to swell, losing its outline.
Hyperemia.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis usually occurs in several stages.

Let's try to figure them out:

External examination by a traumatologist or surgeon. In most cases, this examination allows you to assess the severity of the injury. Experienced doctors can make an accurate diagnosis by frequently examining and feeling the knee.
X-ray. To be sure of making a diagnosis, they are most often forced to take an x-ray in two projections. This allows you to accurately determine whether the internal tissues were damaged during the bruise.

It is almost impossible to make a diagnosis on your own. There are often situations when the pain is tolerable and a person can move independently, enduring discomfort.

Even in such a case, you should contact specialists. Often, seemingly mild bruises can cause serious complications in the future.

Treatment of a tumor on the leg above the knee

If the leg is swollen, the following treatment is divided into several stages, the main of which is drug therapy.

Drug therapy

As you may have noticed, the variety of possible diseases and other causes is so great that it is impossible to prescribe any one drug, especially at home, and hope for a complete recovery. Often doctors prescribe a course of different groups of medications, which include:

Anti-inflammatory and painkillers (Meloxicam, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Nimid),
Diuretics (Furosemide, Indapamide),
Antihistamines (Suprastin, Tavegil),
Normalizing lymph circulation (Lymphomiazot),
In some cases, antibiotics, anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, corticosteroids, cytostatics and thyroid hormones may be prescribed.

Physiotherapy

This approach is used not only for mechanical injuries. Such sessions include:

Laser therapy,
UHF,
Electrophoresis,
Magnetotherapy,
Mud therapy
Phonophoresis.

First aid for swelling above the knee

If you can’t visit a doctor, but you need to somehow relieve the unpleasant symptoms, resort to the following advice:

Try to move less
Wrap the ice in a cloth and apply it to the problem area. No more than 10-15 minutes at a time,
Lie down and place your leg above the level of your heart,
Take anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen, Nimesil, you can apply Diclofenac ointment.

Many people do not raise the problem that the swelling is high enough above the knee. Especially if the muscle moves normally, and the swelling generally subsides on its own after some time, because what could go wrong under such fortunate circumstances. Remember that sometimes the reason is hidden deeper (for example, heart problems). Only a doctor will make the correct diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.

First aid

Very often, knee bruises occur in situations where there are no doctors or professionals nearby who can help.

Therefore, it is very important to know what to do if you bruise your knee:

Provide peace. After an injury, a person should sit or lie down without straining the injured knee joint. In this case, the danger of worsening the condition is immediately neutralized.
Apply ice. If you don't have ice on hand, any cold item will do (for example, meat from the freezer or a bottle of cold water). This will relieve pain and prevent severe swelling. Cold constricts blood vessels and slows blood circulation.
Apply an elastic bandage or bandage to secure the joint. It should be understood that it should provide good fixation of the joint and not hamper movement.
Call an ambulance or go to the hospital. If the injury is serious and the person cannot walk or bend the leg independently, it is necessary to seek medical help.

Treatment at home

Treatment of various knee bruises at home is possible using many methods.

Let's look at them:

Medication . In the first days after injury, the pain can be quite severe, so it is allowed to take non-steroidal painkillers (tablets). It is desirable that such drugs are also anti-inflammatory. Mandatory treatment is ointments that cool, relieve pain, normalize blood circulation, and restore joints. The choice of such ointments and gels is huge in any pharmacy.
Folk remedies . There are many folk remedies that can help with bruises. Let's look at several popular methods.
Powdered wormwood. Often injuries occur in nature. In this case, you need to find a wormwood bush and knead it with your hands, then rub the sore knee or make a compress from the crushed plant. It must be done in the first half hour after the injury. Will help relieve swelling and pain.
Rubbing with vodka. 500 ml of vodka per 30 grams of coltsfoot herbs and 30 grams of oregano. Pour vodka over the herbs and leave for 3 to 5 days in a dark place. Use as a rub before bed.
Compress made of vegetable oil, vinegar and water. All components are mixed in a 1:1 ratio. You need to moisten a cloth in the resulting solution and apply it to the sore spot for 15 – 20 minutes. The procedure should be repeated 2 times a day.
Physiotherapy . Physiotherapy is recommended no earlier than a week after the injury. The best option is UHF therapy. This is treatment with ultra-high frequency electromagnetic fields. Simple fractures are warmed up, which affects the internal tissues and stimulates them, which leads to an acceleration of the healing process.
Massage . Indeed, massage can not only speed up treatment, but also quickly restore all functions after an injury. It is best done by professionals. You can also find lessons on how to massage a sore knee yourself on the Internet.
Exercise therapy. Physical therapy is probably the main factor in recovery. You should constantly stretch the injured leg, gradually increasing the load. It is important not to make sudden movements and jerks, and also to avoid heavy loads, which lead to severe pain.

Treatment of knee pain: the possibilities of modern medicine

The effectiveness of treatment of the spine and joints often depends on how promptly the patient consults a doctor. Therefore, you should not delay going to the clinic. You, of course, can use the help of the Internet - the Internet provides a huge amount of advice on the topic of a swollen knee - what to do at home. But you need to clearly understand that traditional methods can not only alleviate symptoms, but also harm and worsen your condition.

The only thing you can (and should) do on your own is to give yourself first aid - before seeing a doctor. Regardless of whether the knee is swollen inside or outside, or what type of pain bothers you, it is important to provide as much rest as possible to the leg. A cold compress for fifteen minutes will help reduce swelling and reduce pain. In case of bruises or injuries, it is recommended to immediately bandage tightly with an elastic bandage. You need to start bandaging 20 cm below the knee, and end 20 cm above. If you have severe pain, you can take a painkiller.

In the case of knee pain, traditional medicine usually offers elimination of the pain syndrome, but the cause remains, and the disease continues to develop: time is working against you. Therefore, at the first sign that your left or right knee is swollen or painful, contact a specialist - an orthopedist, surgeon, rheumatologist, neurologist.

The general treatment course includes medication, symptom relief, physiotherapy, and exercise therapy.

Treatment begins with pain relief - with the help of anesthetics and non-steroidal drugs.
If damage, trauma, or disorders in the structure of cartilage tissue have been diagnosed, medications from the group of chondoprotectors that improve the structure of cartilage can be prescribed.
To restore joint functions - flexion and mobility, vitamins, steroids and external agents are prescribed.
Physiotherapy can relieve swelling, eliminate pain, and sometimes speed up the elimination of the causes of the disease. The doctor may recommend electrophoresis, laser or magnetic therapy, cryotherapy procedures or exposure to low-frequency microcurrents.

Therapeutic exercise is carried out under the supervision of doctors. All exercises are performed in stages, the load and intensity are increased sequentially. Most of the exercises are based on knee circles, extension and flexion.

Indications for surgical treatment

Surgery is necessary in very rare cases.

Let's look at them:

Serious fractures with displacement.
Ligament or tendon tears that cannot heal on their own.
Bursitis. Redness appears and the temperature rises. This only happens with serious injuries. When an infection occurs, pus can form inside the joint, which can only be removed through surgery.

Surgeries on the knee joint are serious, and recovery after them most often takes more than one month.

Nevertheless, there are situations when it is simply impossible to do without surgical intervention.

Treatment of the consequences of a knee injury

After diagnosis, the surgeon or traumatologist prescribes treatment depending on the severity of the injury.

For cracks and fractures, a plaster cast is applied. When a meniscus ruptures, measures are taken to restore or remove its broken parts.

In cases of blood accumulation inside the joint, a specialist performs a puncture (medical removal of accumulated fluid). To relieve pain and inflammation, special medications, physiotherapeutic procedures and vitamins are prescribed.

What happens if the bruise is not treated?

This question is asked by every person who receives one or another injury.

There are several options:

Everything will pass and heal on its own. This will take longer than with active treatment, but this is quite possible if the injury is not very serious.
The injury will begin to remind itself after a while. Many untreated injuries can begin to resurface after several months or years. In most cases, this happens during intense physical exertion.
The worst outcome is disability. This is possible in cases where a person is completely sure of a bruise, but in fact, in addition to a simple bruise, he has a serious fracture or rupture of tendons.
If you do not seek help for a long time, everything may grow together incorrectly, which will lead to serious defects or even disability.