“I awkwardly stepped during a futsal game and immediately felt a slight popping sensation in my left knee. The pain was instantly intense, and within a few minutes, I managed to stand up but limping. The next day, I could hardly put weight on my left leg, and swelling appeared around and above the knee. The swelling decreased after 5 days. After 15 days, there is swelling again, although I have no pain when moving, although it’s not like my right leg. Can the fluid, if present in the knee, just withdraw, or do I need to have it drained? I’ve tried various home remedies, but ice helps the most, and wrapping it with foil overnight.”
Swelling of any joint can be twofold. One is sudden swelling after a stronger sprain or impact. It mainly consists of blood that fills the joint space, coming there due to blood vessel injury. After 2 days from the injury, it is highly recommended to puncture such a joint (using a needle and syringe to remove as much blood as possible from the knee), because blood from the joint is resorbed very slowly, and additionally, it can adversely affect the cartilage. The other type of swelling occurs more hours to two days after minor sprains, or without a clear cause. If we puncture such a joint, we will get a yellowish fluid without blood. It is pointless to puncture or re-puncture such swelling because it will reoccur very quickly, within a few hours. It usually represents a defensive reaction. Namely, if there is damage to the cartilage (or probably the meniscus in this case), the body will try to reduce friction between the damaged parts by placing fluid between them through swelling. In such cases, a good diagnosis is half the battle, and the patient’s understanding of the causes of their problems is the other half, because all subsequent physiotherapy and exercise procedures require some time and patience. Thus, in the case of cartilage damage, which is not large enough for surgical intervention, it is possible to “desensitize” the joint through an individual kinesiotherapy program and prepare it for sports activities within a reasonable period.
