Hi Sheila
I have knee problems and in particular the swellings caused by fluid filled sacs within the knee joints. I have to admit my knee joints have pretty much had it after the years of swelling, thickened synovium etc. so it is now a case of minimising the problem until such time as the joints are replaced.
What happens, in layman's terms is this, the synovial fluid in the joint becomes irritated by the RA and starts to swell. If the excess fluid is not drained it starts to thicken. This makes knee mobility such as rotation, stretching and bending very difficult. Over a period of time the pressure from the thickening synovium and the increased fluid then puts pressure on the cartilages, ligaments, tendons etc. As only so much excess fluid can be retained within the knee joint it starts to seep out into the surrounding tissues causing further problems both up and down the leg. I had an op. last year to debride and repair both cartilages in my left knee due to problems caused by the RA. Since then I have had ongoing problems and to be honest it is doing my head in!! I'm back with orthopaedics this afternoon
!!
How do I know? Been there, got the T-shirt, watched the video! You get the gist?!
It sounds like you need to contact the rheumatology nurse and arrange an urgent appointment with the rheumatologist. The knee(s) sound like they need aspirating to remove the pressure and injecting with steroid to calm the inflammation. Whilst pain killers may help in the short term the prednisolone is unlikely to have a direct affect on the leg.
I wish you luck Sheila and hope you get some relief soon. Let us know how you go on
Lyn x
