My knee is swollen, tight and painful... why?

Could be so many things. Without a recent injury to have it suddenly swell is strange. Could be a cyst behind the knee thats growing and causing the area to swell, get tight and really hurt. The more it swells, the more pain you'll. If it is real swollen they may tap the knee. Sounds scarey, but when they did mine, the pain was minimal to the pain that was present and it felt 150 times better after it was done.

Could be an injury that you aggravated with a simple twist and brought out the edema and pain.

MRI's will show tissue injury, but a good doctor is your best bet. He'll probably order one too. Seems they all do now days.

As for the blood clot; yes if the leg is red, hot, swollen, then think clot and go now to an ER. Otherwise wait.

Post your finding as a comment so we know what you find out.

Knee Is Swollen

This Site Might Help You.

RE:

My knee is swollen, tight and painful... why?

This started this past Wednesday... I just stood up in the evening and it was kinda tight. Since then, it's gotten to the point that weight-bearing is nearly impossible... it feels like it's going to explode. swollen around the outside edge, pain radiating down the back of my lower leg. ...

It could be this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compartment_syndrome

Seems odd that there was no recent trauma, but perhaps a bone chip broke off? It the symptoms were getting progressively worse, why did you wait to see a doctor? I'd have gone as soon as it got hard to walk. Swelling is an immune system response. When things swell quickly and don't abate after a couple of days, that's a sign that the body doesn't like what's going on in the area. You should listen to you body and go to the ER now.

Email me and let me know how you make out.

In the absence of recent trauma or an illness with fever, recent skin rashes or disease carrying insect bites, you have to think about gout as being high on the list of common presentations.

If your Dr. failed to test for gout, she has missed a very common joint illness. In larger joints like the knees and hips, it will often remain sub-clinical in appearance by failing to show the very remarkable inflammation that smaller joints will classically display.

If it is gout, the NSAIDs will help and they may even reduce the symptoms enough to mask the cause of the condition. Blood testing for elevated uric acid at this point is very probably within normal limits, (as it very often is a day or so post onset.) Drawing a small amount of intra articular fluid, however, will and can still make the call an easy and accurate one by looking for the presence of uric acid crystals.

Short of this, your Dr. is on the right path of unmasking the mystery illness. Good luck.

[][][] r u randy? [][][]

.

1

Have the Dr. do an MRI also. Might possibally be a meniscus tear or a ligament tear.

If it's swollen and feels hot to the touch, you could have a blood clot. If that's the case, go to the ER NOW!

Good luck!

sometime it happen when there is infection ,so don't worry too much ,batter go and have a check up to your Dr because is not easy to diagnosed without see the patient

sounds like you maybe giving birth to an alien midget?

Good thing your going to the doctor tomorrow, or I would have even more ridiculous comments:)