Fluid in joints?

[Samantha Coral]

Hi everybody!

My disease has recently become active again, and I've been out of commission for a few weeks now. I've notices that my knees are retaining fluid in them. I asked my GI if it was related but he kind of blew it off because I have dislocated my right knee twice before he attributed it to that.

This is the first I've seen of fluid in my knees.

Has anyone else had this? Is it related to Crohn's? What did you do about it?

Samantha

 

[lowone]

I have had both my knees and ankles swell up for about a week and a half randomly in my last flare. They were big squishy and painful. Then they magically reset, it was a weird experience.

I am mid flare right now too but this go around sprained an ankle and the matching knee is now swollen, but that might just be from walking on it funny....


It is listed as a side effect for crohn's on nih.gov 'joint pain and swelling'.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001295/

 

[Judith]

Is the swelling "within" the joint itself? Or, is it swollen surrounding the joint (in the skin fatty tissue)?

Also, if you have swelling in both knees but you only injured your right knee in the past what is the doctor's reason for the swelling in the left knee?

My joints (knees definately included) swell within the joint when my immune system is reacting (or overreacting) to something. This is more pronounced when a low pressure weather system is moving in. The fluid can be extremely pronounced and painful. I have been treated for this multiple times sometimes with prednisone + antibiotic and sometimes with antibiotic alone...... sometimes it will go away on its own especially if it is due to a viral infection or allergen.

 

[Crohnsnewbie]

I'm going into medical transcription and I'm getting a job in it soon......sounds like you have Bursitis!

 

[Dr.Who]

yeah. my knee swelled up before. then it went away on its own.

 

[PatrickL]

Samantha, I have experienced this as well. Initially, when my right knee blew up full of fluid I was sent to an Ortho because I'd had a previous surgery on it. They found a tear and did another repair. However, 3 months later it blew up again. At that point my Ortho sent me to a Rheumatologist. Between Rheumatology and then Gastroenterology, I was eventually diagnosed with Crohn's and the fluid in the knee was determined to be an arthritic manifestation of the Crohn's.

I have since had a shoulder surgery, and during my last two flares, both the knee and the shoulder acted up, retaining fluid, decreasing mobility, and of course causing quite a painful few weeks. The biggest thing my doctors have said about the knee, it's a lower extremity and thus retains more fluid - therfore it causes more pressure on the joint, is you must get it drained until your flare subsides. Last spring, I had mine drained 3x in a week. Not getting the fluid drained can cause long-term damage, even though it will evetually go away on its own.

Good luck to you. There were times I was terrified of this as I've always been athletic and was worried I'd never be able to do anything again. And it has been a burden now for 5+ years and occasional flares, but get a good doctor who understands and is willing to treat. Don't just take a Percoset and deal with the pain.

 

[Mountaingem]

Yes it can be from Crohn's for sure. I had this for years with no answers til my Rheumatologist diagnosed ENTHESOPATHY OF KNEE. (Sorry its in all caps I cut and pasted from my medical record online)

Crohn's causes tendons around knee to narrow and fluid to build up. Usually they give anti-inflammatory meds for this-if you can tolerate ibuprofin you can start there, or the doc can give you stronger prescription ones.

Be sure to take a prevacid or pepcid OTC with the NSAIDS to protect your tummy. Hope this helps!