I Have A Lump On My Lower Leg That I%E2%80%99m
So last Saturday, 8/24, my knee felt uncomfortable. Then on Sunday, I had excruciating pain on the outside of my knee and couldn%E2%80%99t even put weight on it. I went to urgent care, they did an X-ray that turned out normal and the doctor suspected tendonitis.
After I got home I noticed a lump for the first time. The pain went away after a few days. It%E2%80%99s been over a week and the lump is still there, but I do not know if I just didn%E2%80%99t notice the lump before. I%E2%80%99m worried that it could be unrelated to my knee pain. Is swelling consistent with tendinitis?
The swelling location is not the same place where the pain is. The pain is on the outside of my knee, the swelling is on the outer top of my shin. I have attached pictures for your review.
The lump is only visible when i lay down, when standing or sitting it is not visible. thank you!
Infrapatellar bursitis is a possible cause of your symptoms
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service,
I carefully read your query and also checked the uploaded images.
The symptoms you have and the location of the lump (in the pictures), seem to be similar to those caused by infrapatellar bursitis. This is a "sac" under the kneecap that fills with fluids when there is inflammation or pain in the knee joint as they are closely related to the knee joint.
To make this diagnosis, a simple physical examination, meaning touching the area and examining the knee joint, is all that is needed.
In a few cases, an ultrasound examination may be requested to confirm the findings of the physical examination and very rarely an MRI will be needed (this is mostly the case if important damages in the knee joint are suspected and need to be ruled out).
Infrapatellar bursitis is generally a self-limiting condition and should spontaneously resolve over a few weeks. Meanwhile, patients need to have antiinflammatory drugs (ibuprofen 600 mg every 6 hours after food) to help with the inflammation and pain and also should avoid exercise.
A physiotherapist will give you the proper exercises to strengthen the muscles and to better support the knee joint, and also faster relieve the symptoms you are experiencing.
I hope this answers your query.
I remain at your disposal in case further medical assistance is needed.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
General and Family Physician