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Suggest Treatment For Swelling In The Knee
Question: my son had a swollen knee when he was 16 mos. old and the Dr. had him admitted to Childrens Hosp where he got shots every few hours over a weekend. The knee went down but the Dr. in charge never said what was wrong so am wondering what it might have been?? He said it might have been another myolytis kind of problem but never came back with any info. on it. He is an adult in his 50.s now and still has problems with the knee. Any suggestions as to what he might do??
Brief Answer:
Ostheoarthritis is the most common cause- explanations
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for asking at healthcaremagic.
I carefully read your question and understand your concern.
There are several causes of the knee problems in a man in his 50-ies. If the knee problems from childhood ceased at that time and than your son started again with knee problems after his 40-ies than the episodes he is having now are not caused from the same problem he had when he was a child.
A crucial information to determine the cause of knee problems is if there is redness, swelling and heat in the area of the knee he is having the problems.
If the knee is not red or hot than this is not an inflammatory process and rules out many important causes of knee pain like rheumatoid arthritis, gout, pseudogout, infection of the knee joint, ect- These are not very common conditions but are very important ones.
If no redness or major swelling present than the most likely causes are ostheoarthritis or pain due to knee structures being hurt.
Ostheoarthritis is the most frequent cause- it is a joint disorder that develops with age, generally after age of 40. It might also be more often in people that have had problems with knees before and that is why your son having a problem as a child in that knee might have predisposed him to develop ostheoarthritis there. It is a common disorder which might cause a lot of distress to the patient. Pain killers are the main treatment and when they do not help enough than knee replacement surgery is done with great results.
Structures of the knee can be hurt with minor trauma or twisting like ligaments or the menuscus in there- the MRI might be a good test to visualize them.
Another thing to consider is the close by bones like the back, the ankle and the foot- if there are problems with any of those can cause pain in the knee. The back can give referred pain on the knee if the nerve is pinched.
Your son can:
1. take pain killers regularly (paracetamol and ibuprofen) to help with pain
2. he will need some investigations like and xray and sometimes an MRI of the knee to determine the diagnosis. Basic blood tests might be done also.
3. a visit with a doctor will be very leading on the possible cause and the needed tests.
4. rarely an examination where a camera is inserted to check the knee might be recommended by the doctor.
I hope this is helpful and answers to your questions but please feel free to let me know if any more clarification is needed on this.
Kind regards,
Antoneta Zotaj, MD
Ostheoarthritis is the most common cause- explanations
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for asking at healthcaremagic.
I carefully read your question and understand your concern.
There are several causes of the knee problems in a man in his 50-ies. If the knee problems from childhood ceased at that time and than your son started again with knee problems after his 40-ies than the episodes he is having now are not caused from the same problem he had when he was a child.
A crucial information to determine the cause of knee problems is if there is redness, swelling and heat in the area of the knee he is having the problems.
If the knee is not red or hot than this is not an inflammatory process and rules out many important causes of knee pain like rheumatoid arthritis, gout, pseudogout, infection of the knee joint, ect- These are not very common conditions but are very important ones.
If no redness or major swelling present than the most likely causes are ostheoarthritis or pain due to knee structures being hurt.
Ostheoarthritis is the most frequent cause- it is a joint disorder that develops with age, generally after age of 40. It might also be more often in people that have had problems with knees before and that is why your son having a problem as a child in that knee might have predisposed him to develop ostheoarthritis there. It is a common disorder which might cause a lot of distress to the patient. Pain killers are the main treatment and when they do not help enough than knee replacement surgery is done with great results.
Structures of the knee can be hurt with minor trauma or twisting like ligaments or the menuscus in there- the MRI might be a good test to visualize them.
Another thing to consider is the close by bones like the back, the ankle and the foot- if there are problems with any of those can cause pain in the knee. The back can give referred pain on the knee if the nerve is pinched.
Your son can:
1. take pain killers regularly (paracetamol and ibuprofen) to help with pain
2. he will need some investigations like and xray and sometimes an MRI of the knee to determine the diagnosis. Basic blood tests might be done also.
3. a visit with a doctor will be very leading on the possible cause and the needed tests.
4. rarely an examination where a camera is inserted to check the knee might be recommended by the doctor.
I hope this is helpful and answers to your questions but please feel free to let me know if any more clarification is needed on this.
Kind regards,
Antoneta Zotaj, MD
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Answered by
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