How long does it take to recover from a knee puncture?

Knee puncture and fluid extraction is a surgery to extract the accumulated fluid in the knee joint, which is very helpful in treating rheumatism and arthritis, but it takes a certain amount of time for the joint to recover. It usually takes a week to recover from knee puncture and fluid extraction, and it is related to the amount of fluid accumulation in the knee joint. Therefore, you should pay attention to protecting the knee joint when undergoing knee puncture and fluid extraction.

Many patients do not know what knee joint effusion is. Orthopedic doctors say: Knee joint effusion is not a disease, but a manifestation of multiple diseases. Trauma, bone hyperplasia, bacterial infection, joint degeneration, rheumatic diseases, etc. can cause mechanical, biological, chemical and other stimulations to the synovial membrane, causing congestion and edema of the synovial tissue, increased vascular permeability, and the exudation of synovial fluid is greater than the absorption, forming knee joint effusion, resulting in symptoms such as joint swelling, pain, and limited movement. So should the fluid in the knee joint be drained? Will it increase if more fluid is drained?

Does joint effusion need to be drained?

These effusions produced in the joints are pathological products. They contain a large amount of digestive enzymes and exist in the joints for a long time, which will digest and dissolve the normal synovium and ligaments. If there is excessive joint effusion and excessive tension, joint puncture can be performed to extract the effusion to relieve symptoms.

However, if the amount of fluid accumulation is small, there is no need for puncture and drainage. First, it is easy to damage the joints and there is a risk of joint infection; second, it is unnecessary because a small amount of effusion can disappear quickly after active treatment; third, a small amount of effusion is difficult to draw out through puncture.

Will the joint effusion increase the more it is drained?

In clinical practice, patients often ask: After the effusion is drained, it will reappear immediately. Will it increase the more it is drained?

This is unscientific from the perspective of pathological process. However, since aspiration of the joint effusion does not eliminate the pathological factors that cause the effusion, the effusion will often occur again. Therefore, after determining the cause, treating the primary disease at the same time can the knee joint effusion be fundamentally eliminated.

Common causes of knee effusion:

Joint effusion is only a symptom, and the primary lesion must be treated in order to fundamentally eliminate the joint effusion.

1. Meniscus injury of the knee joint. It is a disease with localized pain in the knee joint, some patients experiencing weak legs or locked knees, quadriceps atrophy, and localized tenderness with fixed knee joint space as the main symptoms.

2. Ligament injury of the knee joint, such as anterior cruciate ligament injury, posterior cruciate ligament injury, etc. For anterior cruciate ligament injury or posterior cruciate ligament injury, ligament reconstruction surgery is required under arthroscopy.

3. Osteoarthritis of the knee. Knee arthritis is a disease based on degenerative pathological changes. It mostly affects middle-aged and elderly people, and its symptoms include redness, swelling and pain in the knees, pain when going up and down stairs, and knee soreness and discomfort when sitting, standing or walking. Some patients may also experience swelling, popping, fluid accumulation, etc. If not treated in time, it will cause joint deformity and disability.

4. Synovitis of the knee joint. Synovitis of the knee is a sterile inflammation caused by knee sprains and various intra-articular injuries. Abnormal function of the synovium will lead to the inability to produce and absorb joint fluid normally, resulting in effusion in the knee joint.

5. Synovial plica syndrome of the patellofemoral joint of the knee. For synovial plica syndrome, severe cases require arthroscopic resection of the synovial plica. If the condition is not serious, conservative treatment can be used. Try to avoid going up and down stairs and squatting.

6. Septic arthritis of the knee. For suppurative arthritis, arthroscopic flushing is required as soon as possible, and catheter antibiotic drainage is placed, and sensitive antibiotics are used systemically.

7. Patellar dislocation. Severe patellar dislocation requires surgical treatment, either a duplex or triple arthroscopic patellar dislocation surgery. If only the lateral side of the patella is displaced, you can wear a knee brace at ordinary times, try to avoid strenuous exercise, sudden stops and turns, and squatting.

8. Other diseases. For example, gouty arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilic arthritis, blood accumulation caused by knee sprain, etc. For these situations, the primary disease should be treated first, and then the symptoms of the knee joint should be treated symptomatically.

Reminder: Once knee joint effusion and knee discomfort occur, it is recommended to go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible, and further treatment is required in combination with a doctor's physical examination. Do not take medicine blindly or treat yourself, so as not to delay the disease.