What should I do if there is fluid accumulation in the knee joint?

Generally speaking, even normal human joints will have some fluid in them, but this fluid is not knee joint effusion, but normal synovial fluid. This synovial fluid will maintain a balanced state and will not cause any harm to our knee joints. It is generally light yellow and clear and transparent. This synovial fluid can protect our articular cartilage from wear and tear, but once there is too much synovial fluid in our knee joint, knee joint effusion will form over time, which is harmful to our knee joint.

1. What diseases can cause joint effusion?

It should be said that joint effusion is not a specific disease, but a symptom. Many diseases of the knee joint can cause joint effusion. For example: intra-articular loose bodies, meniscus injury, cruciate ligament or collateral ligament injury of the knee, patellar strain, knee osteoarthritis, tuberculosis infection, suppurative infection, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, these diseases can stimulate the synovium of the joint, lead to knee synovitis, and cause joint effusion.

2. How to deal with joint effusion

1. Rest

Rest is a very good way to treat joint effusion, and most joint effusions can be relieved by rest. When resting in bed, you can raise the affected leg above the heart to reduce swelling through body positioning.

2. Drain the effusion

In order to avoid intra-articular infection, it is generally not recommended to extract joint effusion. However, if the joint effusion is large and the tension is too high, joint puncture can be performed under strict aseptic conditions.

3. Treat the primary disease

Joint effusion is just a symptom. If you want to treat it thoroughly, you need to treat the primary lesion. Only in this way can you fundamentally eliminate the occurrence of joint effusion.

3. What should you pay attention to if there is fluid accumulation in the knee joint?

1. Avoid taking stairs

Elderly people with knee effusion or knee joint disease should try to avoid walking up and down the stairs, especially not lifting heavy objects. It is better to take the elevator. When climbing stairs, the knee joint has to bear a weight that is 3-4 times the body weight, which can aggravate the injury. In addition, climbing stairs increases the degree of knee flexion and the pressure between the patella and femur increases accordingly, leading to joint pain, stiffness and swelling.

2. Keeping warm is important

Patients who already have knee pain can wear knee pads to keep warm and wipe off sweat in time if they sweat. Try not to use air conditioning for a long time. If you have to stay in a low-temperature air-conditioned room for a long time, do not blow the cold air directly on your knees. It is best to wear long pants, stockings, etc. or cover your knees with a towel to protect your knee joints.

3. Avoid overwork

Patients should pay attention to this in daily life. Office workers should get up and move around every once in a while to improve peripheral blood circulation. When changing from a sitting to a standing position, move slowly and do not wear very high heels.

Riding a bicycle is better for protecting the knee joints than walking, so you can ride a bicycle appropriately and use it as a means of transportation to reduce the load on the knee joints. Be sure to rest when traveling. Patients with a history of knee pain should try not to climb mountains to minimize the possibility of damage to the knee joint.

4. Lose weight

People who are too obese should control their diet appropriately, pay attention to adjusting their diet structure, reduce calorie intake, keep their weight within an appropriate range, and reduce pressure and wear on their joints.

5. Change bad living habits

We should change bad habits such as excessive drinking and pay attention to a balanced diet. Nutrition should be increased in the diet, supplementing with adequate protein and multiple vitamins, especially vitamin C and vitamin D. In addition, eat foods rich in calcium, such as milk, soy products, etc. Avoid eating irritating, raw, cold and hard foods.