While knee bursitis isn’t as often talked about as meniscus injuries, ACL injuries, or knee tendinitis, it can be a significant source of knee pain.
Anatomy Of The Knee And Bursae
The number of bursae vary from person to person since the human body has the unique ability to make a bursa whenever structures are undergoing abnormal friction. However, most people have around eleven bursae in the knee.
The three knee bursae most commonly associated with knee bursitis are the prepatellar bursa, infrapatellar bursa, and anserine bursa. The prepatellar bursa is located between the skin and the patella (kneecap).
The infrapatellar bursa is located under the kneecap. It’s superficial surface is between the skin and patellar ligament, with a more deep surface between the patellar ligament and the tibia bone. The anserine bursa is situated on the lower inner portion of the knee. It separates the insertions of the sartorius, semitendinosus, and gracilis tendons (hamstring tendons) from the tibial plateau and acts like a buffer between the three tendons.
What Is Knee Bursitis?
The above mentioned bursa may become inflamed from either direct trauma to the knee, repetitive motions, overuse of the knee, degenerative processes, or secondary to a disease process. The term bursitis is used to collectively to describe swelling of a bursa.
What Causes Prepatellar, Infrapatellar, And Anserine Bursitis?
Prepatellar bursitis is often referred to as housemaid’s knee or roofer’s knee. This is because certain occupations, such as roofing and housekeeping services, frequently involve prolonged kneeling positions that place a great deal of pressure on the prepatellar bursa. However, the bursa may also become inflamed after a direct impact to the front of the knee near the prepatellar bursa or secondary to rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or pseudogout. When bursitis is the result of an infection, the term septic bursitis is used. Septic bursitis is far less common than aseptic bursitis, but usually happens when an injury to the knee causes a break in the skin over the bursa, thereby allowing any infection to also enter the bursa.
Infrapatellar bursitis is often referred to as vicar's or preacher's knee. Like prepatellar bursitis, the colloquial references are from the kneeling actions commonly associated with praying. However, in this case, the superficial surface of the infrapatellar bursa is involved. Aside from the causative factors listed under prepatellar bursitis, infrapatellar bursitis is also commonly associated with inflammatory injuries of the patellar ligament, such as jumper’s knee. Bursitis of the deeper aspect of the infrapatellar bursa is rare.
Anserine bursitis can also be caused by trauma, overuse or repetitive, infection, degenerative process, or be secondary to a disease process affecting the knee. However, anserine bursitis is often most often caused by overuse or tightness of the hamstring muscle/tendons. Certain alignment issues of the lower extremities, such as knock knees or flatfeet, may also contribute to increased pressure on this bursa. This form of bursitis is most often seen in runners and obese women over forty.
What Are The Symptoms Of Knee Bursitis?
* localized swelling, redness, warmth, and tenderness over the affected bursa.
* pain and stiffness during knee joint motion (such as walking, running, and jumping)
* kneeling may be very painful to impossible
* a visible “squishy” feeling lump may be visible on the knee
Strengthening Exercises
These Knee Bursitis Exercises are ideal to build strength and flexibility.
Massage Treatment
These Knee Bursitis Massage Techniques are of great value in pain relief; circulation stimulation; dispersing blood and fluid accumulations; swelling reduction; and relaxing muscle spasms, especially when used alongside the Sinew Therapeutics liniments and soaks.
ACUTE STAGE SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT
This stage is characterized by swelling, redness, pain, and possibly a local sensation of heat, indicating inflammation. If coolness makes your pain feel better, then the Acute Stage Treatment is recommended.
ACUTE STAGE SYMPTOMS:
The acute stage starts the moment an injury occurs and lasts until the swelling and inflammation are gone. The swelling is the result of the blockage of blood, tissue fluids and circulation in the knee because their normal movement has been disrupted by the force of the injury. Just like cars back up behind a traffic jam, causing congestion, exhaust and overheating; blood and fluids back up behind the injured knee, causing pain, inflammation, lumps and swelling.
The sensation of heat is due to the warming action of the blood and fluids overheating in the injured knee as they back up and accumulate. Stiffness and decreased mobility are due to spasms in tendons and ligaments that have contracted reflexively beyond their normal range from the impact of the injury.
As ligaments and tendons stretch and tear, blood from ruptured blood vessels becomes trapped in the local tissues. As the trapped blood clots up, it sticks the tissues together creating adhesions. Adhesions cause pain, inflammation and restricted movement because the layers of tissue that used to slide smoothly across one another now adhere and snap which interferes with normal functioning. It is essential to break up clotted blood as quickly as possible to prevent adhesions and scar tissue from forming.
During the acute stage it is very important to restore normal circulation to the knee, break up clotted blood and stagnant fluids, reduce swelling, and reduce the redness and heat associated with inflammation. By restoring the flow of blood, fluids, and circulation in the knee, then pain is relieved, damaged tissues can regenerate with healthy functional tissue, and the knee can strengthen and regain it's mobility.
ACUTE STAGE TREATMENT:
1. Apply the Sinew Herbal Ice on your knee to reduce redness, swelling, and inflammation while dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to help restore normal circulation to the knee. This first-aid treatment is used in place of ice to significantly speed up the healing process. It reduces the swelling and inflammation more effectively than ice, allowing you to more quickly regain range of motion. Acute Sinew Liniment can be used in-between applications.
Ice is not recommended because it does not help repair damaged tissues and keeps everything in the injured area frozen, causing the stagnation of blood and fluids and the contraction of muscles, tendons and ligaments. In Chinese sports medicine ice is not used and is considered a culprit in injuries that don’t heal well.
2. Massage your knee with Acute Sinew Liniment to relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation, break up clotted blood and stagnant fluids, and stimulate circulation of blood and fluids to help cells quickly repair damaged tissues. Sinew Herbal Ice can be used in-between applications.
3. The Sinew Sports Massage Oil is recommended for use before and after exercise, sports and strenuous activity. It warms and stimulates your muscles, increases circulation and relieves tightness, hence improving your performance and helping to prevent injury.
CHRONIC STAGE SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT
This stage begins once the swelling and inflammation are gone, but you still feel pain, stiffness, weakness, and/or sensitivity in cold and damp weather. If heat makes your pain feel better, then the Chronic Stage Treatment is recommended.
CHRONIC STAGE SYMPTOMS:
The chronic stage begins once the swelling and inflammation are gone, but you still feel aching pain and stiffness. This is because there are still accumulations of stagnant blood and fluids in the knee that are blocking circulation and blood supply to damaged tissues, creating residual pain, stiffness and weakness. You may actually feel hard nodules like sand in the tissue, indicating accumulation, calcification, and adhesions, which all cause pain, stiffness, and joint instability.
Your knee may feel more sensitive to the cold and ache in cold and damp weather due to impaired circulation. When you move your knee you may hear a clicking or popping sound from the tendons and ligaments slipping very slightly in and out of their natural alignment indicating weakness and joint instability, causing chronic pain and a cycle of reinjury. These symptoms are often the result of failure to treat the injury properly from the outset and overicing.
Increasing circulation and blood supply to the damaged tissues is very important in treating chronic injuries because tendons and ligaments do not have an extensive direct supply of blood. That is why chronic injuries can be slow to heal. Increasing local circulation also prevents cold and dampness from penetrating the injured area, preventing pain and stiffness.
During the chronic stage it is very important to break up remaining accumulations of blood and fluids, and increase circulation and blood supply to the damaged tissues. By increasing circulation and blood flow in the knee, then pain and stiffness is relieved, and the tendons and ligaments can strengthen to restore stability.
CHRONIC STAGE TREATMENT:
1. Massage your knee with Chronic Sinew Liniment to relieve pain and stiffness, strongly stimulate circulation and blood flow to damaged tissues, and promote the healing of overstretched tendons and ligaments. Sinew Injury Poultice and/or the Sinew Warming Soak can be used in-between applications.
2. Apply the Sinew Injury Poultice on your knee to relieve residual pain and stiffness, significantly stimulate circulation and blood flow to damaged tissues, and further promote the healing of overstretched tendons and ligaments. The Sinew Injury Poultice is particularly useful if your knee is more painful in cold and damp weather. Chronic Sinew Liniment and/or the Sinew Warming Soak can be used in-between applications.
3. Soak your knee with the Sinew Warming Soak to ease joint pain, increase range of motion, and strongly increase local circulation to drive coldness and dampness out of damaged tissues. The Sinew Warming Soak is particularly useful if your knee is more painful and sensitive to cold or hurts more in cold weather. The soak can be used by saturating a towel in the liquid and applying it to your knee. Chronic Sinew Liniment and/or the Sinew Injury Poultice can be used in-between applications.
4. The Sinew Sports Massage Oil is recommended for use before and after exercise, sports and strenuous activity. It warms and stimulates your muscles, increases circulation and relieves tightness, hence improving your performance and helping to prevent injury.
