Contraindications | Knee puncture

Contraindications

Anticoagulant therapy with Marcumar® is currently not a contraindication for knee joint puncture. In individual cases, the coagulation should be checked beforehand by means of a blood analysis. With Marcumar®, bleeding or bruising in the joint may occur more frequently after the puncture. According to the current AWMF guidelines, only infection, skin disease or damage to the skin at the puncture site is a contraindication for non-urgent punctures.

What should one do after a puncture?

Knee puncture is a relatively harmless medical procedure. As a rule, it can be performed on an outpatient basis, so that you are immediately mobile again afterwards. However, the knee is usually somewhat weakened and painful afterwards.

Therefore, it should be put up for a few hours, if necessary also cool it. Depending on the symptoms and complications that arise, extensive loading should not be started until the following day at the earliest. You should refrain from sports activities for a little longer. It is also important to observe the knee joint after the puncture. If severe pain or signs of inflammation occur at the knee joint or the puncture site, a doctor should be consulted.

When can I start doing sports again?

After a knee puncture, a sports break of at least a few days is recommended. This is mainly to allow the irritation caused by the puncture to heal. Depending on the type of procedure, the duration here can vary between a few days and a few weeks, so it is essential to consult the physician in charge to determine whether or not you are fit for sport.

Often, however, in the case of knee punctures, it is not only the puncture itself that limits the ability to return to sports. Rather, it is also about the underlying disease that makes the knee puncture necessary. Here too, the advice of the treating physician should be sought.

Sick leave after a knee puncture

Knee puncture is a medical procedure that can be performed very quickly and easily. Usually it does not take more than a few minutes. Since the affected leg should then be elevated for several hours, it is advisable to take sick leave for the day of the puncture itself.

How long the sick leave lasts afterwards depends more on the underlying disease than on the puncture itself. As long as there are no complications such as bleeding or infections after the knee puncture, a longer sick leave is not necessary. In the case of restrictive knee problems, a sick note should initially be written for a few days to a week. If necessary, the treating doctor can extend the sick leave depending on the symptoms.