Swelling on the palate
Swelling in the area of the palate is quite often caused by the consumption of food or liquids that are too hot. The swollen palate is then caused by an irritation of the mucous membrane that spans the palate. Allergies can also lead to a swelling of the palate. Surgical procedures, such as dental surgery, almost regularly lead to swelling in the area of the palate. In most cases these swellings are so small that the patient hardly notices them and the palate swells very quickly.
Swelling of the neck
Swelling of the throat occurs in infectious diseases, such as tonsillitis. In addition to unpleasant swallowing difficulties, the neck is often painful from pressure. The infection also causes swelling of the lymph nodes, which can also cause swelling of the neck.
In most cases, the swelling of the neck caused by an infection is also pressure painful. Swellings in the neck area that are not pressure painful could also always be caused by the thyroid gland. Although goitre formation, which used to be very common, has become very rare today due to the good supply of iodine, nodular formations in the area of the thyroid gland and also sometimes over- or under-functioning of the thyroid gland can lead to swelling of the thyroid gland and neck.
The swelling is then usually palpated at the front and slightly to the side. If the patient swallows, the swelling typically moves up and down. This is often an indication of a thyroid gland-related swelling. Ultrasound examination is proof of this, in which the thyroid gland can be measured and thus a swelling can be seen.
Swelling of the knee
Knee swelling is usually caused by inflammation. In most cases, constant irritation in the knee joint causes inflammatory fluid to flow into the joint space, causing the knee to swell. The examiner will perform the test of the dancing kneecap, which provides information about whether there is fluid under the kneecap.
The examiner will compress the kneecap from head to toe and from foot to toe and check whether the kneecap lifts off.Knee swelling occurs either in knees with arthrotic changes or in traumatic injuries within the knee joint. It is important to find out the cause why the knee is swollen. X-ray or MRI examinations of the knee are helpful here.
In case of severe knee joint effusion, a knee joint puncture must also be considered. The knee should be kept rather still and protected in case of trauma-related swelling. A knee stocking or repeated cooling pads can help to reduce the knee swelling.
If the knee swelling is caused by osteoarthritis in the knee, even movement such as cycling can also bring relief. Knee swelling can also be caused by a high level of uric acid in the blood. In this case, urea crystals accumulate in all possible joints and possibly also in the knee joint, causing it to swell.
One also speaks of a gout attack. In addition to the swelling, the knee is usually also reddened and painful. The treatment consists of uric acid-lowering medication as well as cooling by compresses and an anti-inflammatory medication with ibuprofen, diclofenac or cortisone over several days.
