How long does bursitis of the knee last | Bursitis of the knee

How long does bursitis of the knee last

Experience shows that an uncomplicated bursitis of the knee takes about 10-14 days. However, depending on the cause of the disease and the individual health condition of the person affected, bursitis of the knee can also last up to four weeks. In addition, the behavior of the affected person strongly determines the course of recovery.

If the medically prescribed physical protection of the joint is consistently adhered to, a faster healing process can be expected than with continuous stress. If a bacterial infection of the knee joint can be identified as the trigger, healing depends strongly on the response of the pathogens to the selected antibiotic. If there is resistance, the therapy can be extended by days or weeks.

Surgical therapies such as a complete bursitis of the knee joint require about three weeks to heal. The first week after the operation is due to immobilisation of the knee joint, and the remaining two weeks to final healing and gradual loading of the knee joint. It depends entirely on the individual case how long one is taken ill with bursitis of the knee.

If the course of the disease is uncomplicated, the duration of the disease can be expected to be 10-14 days. In order to ensure an optimal healing of the bursitis, however, the affected person must be given an additional 3-4 days to gradually build up the physical strain. A sick leave of about 14 days is therefore usually to be expected. In complicated cases, a sick leave of up to 4 weeks may be necessary.

When do you need surgery

Surgery should be the last treatment option for bursitis, as it is usually associated with irreversible consequences such as scarring of the access route. In the case of acute bacterial bursitis, however, it is often the only measure that protects the joint from permanent damage. Deteriorating symptoms in the form of increasing swelling and general symptoms such as fever despite adequate therapy with NSAIDs and antibiotics are thus a reason for surgical rehabilitation of the knee.