Pes anserine bursitis is a condition of inflammation of the medial (inner) knee at the anserine bursitis, a sub muscular bursa located just below, about two or three inches below the pes anserine (goose’s foot). Basically it is inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs (bursae) in the inner knee tendons. It is quite common but is frequently under diagnosed. It often occurs in athletes if they end up frequently cutting their knees or using pivoting movement in them, especially in sports like basketball, soccer/football, or rugby. Other common causes include ligament sprain, cartilage injury, or osteoarthritis.
The most common symptom is of course medical knee pain. The pain is usually in the in the inside of the knee or in the upper shin just below the knee joint. Swelling in this same area on top of the shin bone or the inside of the knee can also be quite common. Naturally, this also makes the area over the inside part of the knee tender to the touch and will often become red. A particularly interesting symptom of this condition is that it seemingly has no causative factor, meaning it often isn’t caused by an injury or incident. Rather, pain pes anserine bursitis builds up over time instead of coming on suddenly. In turn, the pain will increase whenever you perform actions such as exercise or stair climbing. Sometimes, fevers and chills might result from the medical knee pain. Below the surface of the skin the bursae (fluid filled sacs) are thickening. This in turn can often lead to an abscess, a localized infection in the bursae.
If you end up suffering from pes anserine bursitis you should make sure you get some proper rest. If you discontinue any strenuous activity with your knees and modify what you do with them then it is likely that the pes anserine bursitis will eventually fade away. Putting ice on the inflammation at regular intervals three or four times a day, twenty minutes at a time will also help the inflammation go down. If this doesn’t help, there is also anti-inflamatory medication available on the market. In the extreme cases, an injection of anesthetic and steroid into the bursae will provide instant relief. Whichever it is you decide to do, it is best to give that knee of yours some rest because it is clearly telling you to do so. It is not considered to be that serious of a condition.
