Reducing Fluid Accumulation around Knee

Water in knee is a condition where fluid is accumulated around the knee joint. This excess fluid makes the knee joint swell, and sometimes may even cause pain. There can be various reasons for these excess fluids to accumulate in the knee. The most common cause of water in knee is arthritis, which leads to frequent fluid accumulation. Trauma and injury around knee area, like ligament injury, fractures, and meniscus tears, can also lead to excess fluid buildup. If you are overweight or play active sports like football or tennis, you may be more at risk to have water in knee condition.

It is not advisable to drain the water out with a hypodermic needle on your own. There may be several delicate considerations involved there and it is best to visit a medical practitioner and ask for proper medical advice.

However, at your end, you may try out some of the self-care methods to deal with the condition. The first thing is to allow your knee to have proper rest. Be gentle to your knee and do not indulge in any activity that causes undue stress on it. To alleviate pain and swelling you can try out the ice therapy. You may apply ice bag on your knee for 15-20 minutes at regular intervals throughout the day. While applying ice treatment, it is advisable to keep your knee at an elevated position by placing a pillow under your leg. Even otherwise, keeping your leg in an elevated position can help in reducing fluid accumulation around knee. It does so by driving out the fluid accumulated around knee (which is kept at higher position) back to the rest of the body (which is kept at lower position). So, while sitting you can place your leg on a higher stool so that the leg stays at a higher position and while lying down you can raise the position of your leg by placing a pillow under the leg.

To effectively reduce the water accumulation around knee it is also necessary to keep your body weight under check. Being overweight puts a lot of stress on the knee and raises the chances of wear and tear of knee. And the risk is more if you have to keep standing for a long time at work, or have to walk frequently. It is, therefore, absolutely necessary to keep your body weight under prescribed limit. Follow a diet to reduce weight, and avoid all food items that are known give rise to obesity. Avoid red meat, sugar, refined flour, processed food, alcohol and other such foods.