When Will My Knee Bursitis Go Away?
In our knees, we have small sacs (known as bursae), which act as cushions between all of the various bones and muscles enabling us to walk or bend our legs. Bursitis occurs when those small fluid sacs become inflamed, it’s an extremely common issue that can feel difficult to treat, leaving you wondering when will my knee bursitis go away?
What causes knee bursitis?
Some common causes of knee bursitis include:
Trauma or injury: this can occur during sports with lots of knee to ground contact like football, gymnastics and martial arts. It can also occur with a particularly hard fall or blow to the knee.
Overuse: straining the knee excessively, especially with repetitive movements like going up and down a ladder and picking up and putting down items over the day, can cause these areas to become heavily inflamed. People in physical jobs like tradespeople, warehouse workers and retail staff all are at increased risk of bursitis.
Other conditions: complications from arthritis and other issues already affecting your knee, which can lead to general inflammation and irritation of the knee.
When will my knee bursitis go away?
The treatment for Knee Bursitis varies depending on how severe it is. For less-severe cases, symptoms can be managed simply by using the RICE method (see below). For some patients who are in a lot of pain, a cortisone injection may help. Or if the pain is particularly bad, then surgery may be required.
- Rest: Avoid doing anything that may overstress your knees
- Ice: Icing your knees can help reduce inflammation and, therefore, swelling
- Compress: Compression, in the same way as ice, can help reduce inflammation and swelling; a knee brace is an excellent option as it not only provides support but also applies pressure to your knee
- Elevate: Raising the injured leg whenever possible (e.g. when you’re asleep) helps reduce swelling.
In general, the best thing to do with knee bursitis is manage and prevent. This will keep the inflammation to a minimum and allow the knee to fully recover. As well as using the above RICE method, avoid straining your knee. A doctor may also advise you to take anti-inflammatory medication to manage the pain and irritation.
However, unfortunately, Bursitis can be persistent and difficult to manage with these methods alone. A gel support brace, such as the GenuTrain P3, is able to soothe the irritation and provide medical-grade compression to the knee.
This type of knee brace will also help to keep down inflammation and swelling, especially after cortisone injections or surgery.
Wearing the right support, or brace, can make all the difference when it comes to speeding up your recovery, to get you back to work and playing sport. Any brace that uses medical-grade compression, with the addition of a gel support that targets the patellofemoral tendon (just below the knee), is ideal for using in co-ordination with your treatment.
Knee bursitis prevention and management
The best way to treat an injury is to prevent it from occurring in the first place, and bursitis is a perfect example of this philosophy. Here are a few tips to help prevent this condition occurring:
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Avoid kneeling on hard surfaces for a period of time.
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In high contact activity like skateboarding, rugby or wrestling, wear knee pads or some kind of cushioning.
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Practice good lifting, ensuring you use your knees and hip, and avoid lifting anything too heavy without support.
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Make sure you rest and ice your knees after high levels of activity whenever you feel pain or irritation begin to occur.
Knee Bursitis is something which can happen to anyone, if left untreated, it can cause increasing amounts of pain. Early treatment and management is recommended.
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