water on the knee.?

Question

i've had this before and have had arthroscopic surgery on the same knee. i thought it was over but, it's full of fluid again. does anyone know ; is there a chance the fluid will recycle itself back to wherever it came from or am i really going to have to have it drained again? i really hate that. and by the way, where does this fluid come from anyway and why does it settle in the knee?

Answer 1

What is fluid on the knee?

Everyone has fluid in all mobile joints (hips, knees, shoulders, etc), but usually the amount of fluid is very small (really just enough to coat the surfaces of the joints themselves) and under normal conditions you don't know it's there. The fluid serves two main functions. One function of the fluid is to help lubricate the cartilage surfaces, so they move smoothly. In fact, normal cartilage that is lubricated by normal joint fluid (called "synovial fluid") is many times more slippery than a hockey puck gliding across a smooth ice rink. The other function of the fluid is to help nourish and protect the cartilage surfaces of the joint.

But when you have enough fluid in a joint to where you notice it (either by being able to see it, or by being able to feel it as a tense swelling) that's what people call "water on the joint." The technical term is a "joint effusion." Such a visible or detectable swelling of a joint is never normal, and it may be caused by any of a number of conditions, including:

Arthritis: Either osteoarthritis -- called degenerative joint disease -- or inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis
Trauma: The fluid in certain kinds of trauma may be blood, rather than synovial fluid
Infection: The fluid in this case may be pus, rather than synovial fluid
Depending on the cause of the fluid accumulation, the treatments may be very different.

It is reasonable to speak to an orthopaedic surgeon should you detect water on a joint if that joint is also painful.

Answer 2

i used to have this happen,my Dr gave me Naproxen, sold under this name:Aleve i would think there is inflammation in the knee joint,ice it and try resting a bit.Make sure, you replace the running shoes as long distance runners destroy the cushioning in a couple months. eventually get an xray or MRI of the knee that's bothering you. i had to have the fluid drained off several times and had several cortisone shots. i am not a runner!

Answer 3

IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY I HAVE HAD FLUID IN THE KNEES AND ALL I HAD DONE WAS I HAD A SHOT OF STEROIDS GIVEN IN MY KNEE BY THE DOCTOR TO DRAIN THE FLUID OR WHATEVER THE STEROID DOES......... HOPE THIS HELPED.

Answer 4

Ask a ninja. lol. Otherwise, ask your doctor.