Housemaids Knee

Here, we will look at the common causes, symptoms, treatment options and recovery process for Housemaids Knee.

What Is Housemaids Knee?

Causes of Housemaids Knee

The most common cause of Housemaids knee is repetitive kneeling which causes friction and puts pressure on the bursa and kneecap. 

Symptoms and Diagnosis

The most common symptom of prepatellar bursitis is swelling at the front of the knee, a bit like a small squashy orange.

Treating Prepatellar Bursitis

There are a number of treatment options for Housemaids Knee including:

1. PRICE: PRICE is a great treatment tool to help reduce pain and swelling with housemaids knee and it helps to speed up recovery. It stands for Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate.Visit the PRICE section to find out how to use it safely and effectively
   
   
2. Medication: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs) can also help to reduce the swelling and pain associated with prepatellar bursitis. You should always check with your doctor before taking medications
   
   
3. Stretching: Prepatellar bursitis is often aggravated by tight muscles in the leg, so stretching these muscles out relieves the pressure on the bursa so it stops producing excess fluid.
   
   To check if your muscles are tight and to find out how to stretch them, visit the Housemaids Knee Stretches section to help reduce your pain and speed up your recovery
   
   
4. Avoid Aggravating Activities: It really helps to avoid activities that place pressure on the kneecap and prepatellar bursa e.g. kneeling and squatting
   
   
5. Gel Knee Pads: If you do have to kneel, wearing gel knee pads can make all the difference with bursitis. They take the pressure off the bursa and are excellent for eliminating pain and irritation when you do have to kneel.  Visit the gel knee pad section to find out more
   
   
6. Ice: Ice is a great natural treatment tool to help to reduce the swelling and pain from prepatellar bursitis, however if used incorrectly, it can actually make things worse. Visit the Ice section to find out how to safely and effectively use ice or the ice wrap section for different ways to apply ice
   
   
7. Aspiration: If the swelling in the prepatellar bursa becomes extreme, then your doctor can drain the fluid out of the bursa with a needle, known as aspiration
   
   
8. Steroid Injections: Cortisone injections into the bursa can help to reduce swelling and pain associated with housemaids knee. You can find out more in the knee injections section
   
   
9. Antibiotics: If your housemaids knee is due to an infection, your doctor will prescribe you antibiotics. Usually after around three days of taking them, you should notice the symptoms starting to improve
   
   
10. Surgery: Very occasionally, if all other treatments have failed and the prepatellar bursitis is causing significant problems, then surgery is required to remove the bursa

The Recovery Process

Generally, housemaids knee settles within a few weeks, if treated correctly. If you have already had it, it is advisable to avoid kneeling on hard surfaces by using some sort of cushioning such as gel pads to prevent recurrence.

Not Sounding Quite Like Your Pain?

The prepatellar bursa isn't the only bursa found at the front of the knee - the infrapatellar bursa sits slightly below the knee around the patellar tendon. If your pain and swelling is slightly below the knee rather than right over the front of the kneecap, have a look at the infrapatellar bursitis section.

Another common place to get bursitis is at the back of the knee, where there is inflammation of the popliteal bursa.  You can find out more in the Bakers Cyst section.

There are a number of other causes of front knee pain other than Housemaids Knee. If you want some help working out what is causing your pain, visit the Diagnose Your Pain section.

Page Last Updated: 10/12/21
Next Review Due: 10/12/23

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3. Housemaids Knee

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