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Dr. Andrew Rynne
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Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes A Hard Painful Lump On The Knee?

I have had a lump on my knee since early march and it got very large fluid filled i would say the size of a tennis ball cut in half...well the fluid went away and now there is a very solid lump i would say the size of a golf ball...and now i have a constant numbness is the upper part of my leg right above the knee and once in awhile a very sharp pain as if someone is really stretching my nerves...this has been going on for the past week..should i just wait and see what happens or make an appointment ASAP?
posted on Sun, 10 Jul 2016
Twitter Mon, 14 Oct 2019 Answered on
Twitter Thu, 17 Oct 2019 Last reviewed on
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General Surgeon,  's  Response
Hi,

In your case, there are few possible causes and if there was no injury then some other chronic disorder may be present. Without more information it is not enough to determine the diagnosis. It could be a hematoma (bleeding in the tissues) or a swollen knee joint capsule.

If it's in the back of the knee then it could be a Baker's cyst. Clinical examination (and perhaps fluid aspiration if there's any) would help to determine the diagnosis. Either an orthopedics specialist or your primary care physician can do that.

Until then you can try to apply ice packs (not directly on the skin - wrap them with a towel) and perhaps use some painkillers starting with paracetamol (acetaminophen) and advancing to NSAID if paracetamol is not enough and there's no contraindication for NSAID.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Iven Romic Rommstein, General Surgeon
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What Causes A Hard Painful Lump On The Knee?

Hi, In your case, there are few possible causes and if there was no injury then some other chronic disorder may be present. Without more information it is not enough to determine the diagnosis. It could be a hematoma (bleeding in the tissues) or a swollen knee joint capsule. If it s in the back of the knee then it could be a Baker s cyst. Clinical examination (and perhaps fluid aspiration if there s any) would help to determine the diagnosis. Either an orthopedics specialist or your primary care physician can do that. Until then you can try to apply ice packs (not directly on the skin - wrap them with a towel) and perhaps use some painkillers starting with paracetamol (acetaminophen) and advancing to NSAID if paracetamol is not enough and there s no contraindication for NSAID. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Iven Romic Rommstein, General Surgeon