Suprapatellar bursitis of the knee joint: symptoms and treatment

What is the supracatellar bursitis of the knee joint? Symptoms and treatment, as well as the main reasons for the development of this pathology will be discussed below. Also you will learn about the peculiarities of this disease and its diagnosis.

general information

The knee joint in the human body is the largest, as well as the most difficult articulation. It includes many auxiliary elements, which include bursa, or synovial bags. According to experts, these parts of the joint are very vulnerable, are prone to frequent trauma and infection, resulting in the development of bursitis.

What is bursitis?

What is the supracatellar bursitis of the knee joint? In modern medicine, bursitis is an inflammatory disease that develops in the mucous membranes of the articular bag and forms an effusion. This pathology often leads to a limitation of mobility, as well as a decrease in the patient's ability to work.

If the synovial cavity inflamed above the joint, then the so-called suprapatellar bursitis of the knee joint is formed. At the same time, the largest bursa of the knee is involved in the pathological process.

Bursami called narrow slit-shaped cavities, which are enclosed in a shell. They are located between parts of some bones and tissues, that is, muscles, skin, fascia and tendons. In this case, the bursa is filled with mucous fluid, which in the knee joint plays a protective, buffer, barrier and trophic role.

Suprapatellar bursitis of the knee joint is a rather frequent disease. This is due to the fact that the synovial fluid is extremely sensitive and always responds to any changes in the articulation, causing an inflammatory response.

Main causes of development

Why is there a supratellar bursitis of the knee joint, the photo of which is presented in this article? There are a lot of reasons for the development of this disease. The most frequent of them include the following:

• Infection of synovitis cavities through open lesions, including abrasions and cuts;
• Mechanical damages of closed type, including injuries, bruises, compression and shocks;
• High overvoltage and strain on the joints (especially characteristic for athletes and representatives of a number of professions);
• Development of allergic, inflammatory, metabolic and autoimmune diseases.

Other reasons

In addition to the main causes of development, the supracatellar bursitis of the knee joint may also arise due to the following conditions:

• Due to the presence of concomitant diseases of joints of a chronic nature (including gout, arthritis);
• Because of long loads in the form of a prolonged standing on the knees (another name for this disease is "the knee of a nun");
• Due to deformity of the joints, which was caused by low physical activity and excess weight.

The onset of acute illness

How does the synovitis get inflamed? Suprapatellar bursitis of the knee joint and inflammation of the sanovitis can develop rapidly and gradually. This depends on the cause of the pathological process. For acute bursitis, classical symptoms are characteristic, which include hyperemia, severe pain and swelling.

Thus, to diagnose supratellar bursitis of the knee joint (only an experienced specialist should treat this disease) is not difficult, especially in an acute clinic. Externally, this pathology is manifested by edema of different sizes, as well as reddening of the skin. Thus, pressing on the inflamed area, the person feels obvious morbidity.

Another important symptom of the disease in question is a significant limitation of joint mobility.

It should also be said that the purulent process that occurs in the knee joint is often accompanied by a sudden rise in body temperature, acute pain, redness and marked swelling. At the same time active, as well as passive movement in the joint is almost impossible.

According to experts, if untimely or incorrect treatment of this pathology, the development of complications such as abscess and phlegmon may occur.

Signs in the chronic course of the disease

How does the chronic supratellar bursitis of the knee joint manifest? Symptoms and treatment of this disease are discussed further.

In the pathological process of chronic course, the clinical picture of the disease changes slightly. The fluid in the inflamed articular pouch accumulates not immediately, but gradually. In this case, the existing pain syndrome can periodically weaken. As for the walls of the mucous bag, they thicken. At the same time, small whitish coatings form on their inner surface. Over time, they separate and appear directly in the articular bag, representing foreign bodies.

Common symptoms of the disease

What are the symptoms of bursitis of the knee? Like any inflammatory disease, such a pathology can occur in acute and chronic form. But both for the first and for the second flow are characterized by the same symptomatology:

• Painful sensations. As a rule, the feeling of discomfort increases with the movements of the lower extremities, especially in the knees.
• Puffiness. The knee with bursitis swells completely. Also, only a small swelling can be observed. This is due to the accumulation of fluid in the periarticular bag or joint.
• The "sound" of the knee. Sounds such as crunching and clicks when bending the leg, very often indicate the development of progressive inflammation.
• Decreased motor activity of the patient. This is due to increasing pain during movement.

Also to the general inflammatory symptoms of bursitis of the knee joint is the increase in the body temperature of the patient and malaise. If a person's condition worsens noticeably, it indicates the infectious nature of the inflammation, which requires an urgent call to the doctor.

Diagnostic process

How is the suprapatellar bursitis of the knee joint diagnosed (treatment of folk remedies of this disease is practiced very often)? First, a specialist should examine the patient. This kind of diagnosis of superficial bursitis is very popular, because in many cases this disease is detected purely visually.

The patient is also assigned a clinical blood test.

To confirm their guesses and clarify the diagnosis, some experts use the following instrumental methods:

• Infrared CT is a graphic method that is based on the detection of foci of the inflammatory process by changing the temperature of the pain area.
• X-ray examination. It includes contrast and review radiography.
• Ultrasound is the safest, but rather informative, method.

One can not but say that with a diagnostic purpose in conditions of strict aseptic the patient can be prescribed a puncture of the joint bag with further aspirate of exudate for cytological and bacteriological research. During such an analysis, the causative agent of the disease is identified and its sensitivity to antibiotic agents is determined.

Suprapatellar bursitis of the knee joint: treatment with medicines

With the development of bursitis of the knee joint, specialists often prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs (for example, Nimesulide, Diclofenac, and Ketaprofen), as well as hormonal preparations (eg, oral glucocorticoids or as intra-articular injections).

In addition, chondroprotectors in the form of topical therapy, anti-inflammatory ointments, creams and compresses can be recommended to people with the disease in question. Also, with bursitis, medicines are often prescribed to improve blood supply and intake of vitamin-mineral complexes.

Surgery and folk treatment

Unfortunately, very many patients treat the supracatellite bursitis of the knee joint with folk remedies. However, experts argue that this approach rarely leads to positive results. Thus doctors stipulate, that nonconventional medicine at such diagnosis should be applied together with methods classical. If you use only traditional treatment, then the patient can have serious complications. In this case, the operation will be shown to him:

• With bursitis - remove the bursa (i.e. the periarticular bag);
• With synovitis - carry out a partial or complete synovectomy.

It should be specially noted that complications after surgery are rare. In this case, the patient's motor activity is restored within a few weeks.