You woke up this morning feeling stiff and creaky. After hobbling down the stairs like an old person, you took a look at your knee and noticed that it was twice the size of its usual self. Panic sets in as you realize that you have no idea why your knee is swollen. Fear not, my friend! In this article, we will delve into the reasons for swollen knees.

What is a Swollen Knee?

Before we get too deep, let’s start with some basics – what exactly causes swelling in the first place? Essentially, when there’s inflammation happening somewhere in your body (like inside your knee), fluid rushes to the area causing the tissue to swell.

Causes of Swollen Knees

There are many reasons why your knees may be puffy:

Arthritis

Arthritis is one of those conditions that can affect any joint in the body – but it loves hanging out in the knees. Rheumatoid arthritis (a chronic autoimmune disease) or osteoarthritis (a wear-and-tear degenerative condition).

Gout

Gout is another pesky condition known for setting up shop in our lower extremities; specifically our big toe joints but can also affect other areas such as ankles & knees . It appears due to excess uric acid crystals deposited simply put around certain nerves on specific small joints which cause more changes besides pain.

Meniscus Tear

If you’ve ever done anything athletic or just happened to bend over wrong while picking something up (we’re not judging) , then chances are you’ve heard about meniscus tears before.. This tear happens when one of those little shock-absorbing pads gets torn out from underneath either by trauma or regular usage .

Bursitis

When bursae become inflamed/irritated around all sorts of key areas such as kneecaps or achilles tendons, there is a possibility that you could be suffering from bursitis. Besides using compression bandages and ice packs when dealing with swelling from this condition to reduce swelling on the knee can help alleviate some of your discomfort..

Baker’s Cyst

The mysterious-sounding baker’s cyst (also called a popliteal cyst). This pocket of fluid-filled sacs seems to appear out of nowhere behind the knee cap in order to haunt us – almost like its own entity. It occurs most often for those who have arthritis but it also appears when one has suffered an injury .

Osgood-Schlatter Disease

This funny sounding name can actually cause quite a bit of pain if left untreated; likely is due to rapid growth spurts during early adolescent years before bones are fully formed causing small fractures at point where tendon attaches inside your knee throughout time.

There are other reasons why knees get swollen too many too list here (but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered).

Symptoms

As mentioned earlier, joint inflammation causes extra fluid build-up leading which leads then finally results in puffiness and stiffness . Swollen knees may change color & temperature compared such as hot-red while tenderness or darkness around affected areas similarly occur.

We reached out to four people regarding their experiences with swollen knees:

1) “I felt really self conscious about my grapefruit sized knee whenever I would go outside.” – Anonymous

2) “My doctor diagnosed me with bursitis- he said that it was caused by running, basketball playing…and rusty doorknobs” – Bob Saget

3) “It made even standing up painful”- M Butterfly

4) “My entire life was spent avoiding activities so I wouldn’t feel any discomfort around my bad knee” – Grandma Edith

It’s worth mentioning that not all cases result based upon injuries, Let us dig a bit deeper into the most common causes of swollen knees:

How to Treat Swollen Knees

Much depends on the severity and duration. In general, rest is highly recommended along with other at-home methods like:

Ice Therapy

Ice packs are one of the easiest home remedies for knee inflammation. Keep an ice pack (or bag full of peas) wrapped in cloth over your affected area for about 15-20 minutes every few hours.

Compression Sleeves

By trapping swelling around where it occurs you can minimize a lot discomfort using compression bands or sleeves all day long though make sure to speak with medical professional if this method works best for yourself; whilst they do not apply tension onto joints themselves hence preventing further harm.. It could cause possible exacerbation .

Elevation

Keep it elevated when possible by propping pillows under such joint otherwise use crutches…useless but still better than limping everywhere! Keeping legs straight during elevation blocks blood flow so be sure to keep them bent slightly.

Depending on at what stage one would opt for seeking relief from professionals who may recommend anything – these ways include possibly getting antibiotics prescriptions as well as pain medications . Regardless , If symptoms persist after initial treatments have been tried feel free reach out toward local doctors now!

Preventing Future Problems

Regardless how hard my grandma might try convince me that I’m going need replace both my kneecaps due genetics, statistics have shown there are actionable steps we can take reducing risks things which put added stress upon our knees including losing any excess weigh body carries everyday also strengthening muscles/ appropriate footwear choices .

While knee problems arise unexpectedly occasionally having some basic awareness & knowledge beforehand will give anyone upper hand managing such issues then get started down road navigating their path recovery successfully !