When your baby has a boo-boo on the knee, kissing it better is often the most effective treatment. Even when your baby's knees appear red and swollen, odds are that the underlying cause is nothing that basic first aid can't handle. However, if tiny knees balloon up for no apparent reason and stay that way, it might signal more serious problems.
Grazes and Cuts
Most minor knee injuries require only basic first aid, but if redness and swelling persist or get worse, it might indicate infection and should be evaluated by your baby's health-care provider. A crawling infant's knees take a lot of punishment so grazes, also known as carpet burns, are common. These don't bleed much but because the top layers of skin have been scraped off, they're painful. Washing the affected area and applying an adhesive dressing usually suffice for both grazes and cuts. For cuts, applying pressure to the area with a clean cloth should stop bleeding but if not, seek medical help. Whenever skin is broken, tetanus bacteria can enter, so make sure your baby's vaccinations are up-to-date.
Insect Sting Allergy
When stung by bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets and fire ants, pain, swelling and itching around the site of the sting is a normal reaction for anyone. The Encyclopedia of Children's Health recommends flicking your fingers at the sting site to remove the stinger, washing the area and applying ice to reduce swelling, followed by a topical anti-itch remedy such as calamine lotion. However, "Any symptoms that progress beyond the local area of the sting require immediate attention," according to the encyclopedia, and should be treated as a medical emergency. About 1 in 100 children have allergic reactions to insect stings and among those who do, about 50 percent of deaths occur within 30 minutes of being stung.
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Like adult rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile RA is believed to be an autoimmune disease, but the good news is that unlike grownups, many kids grow out of it. According to the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, it can come on at an age as young as 6 months with symptoms including red, swollen joints with limited range of motion, sometimes also accompanied by fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes. There are three categories of JRA, distinguished by the number of affected joints. If no more than four are affected, typically knees and wrists, the condition is called pauciarticular JRA. This chronic disease must always be managed by doctors.
Lymphedema
The human body has about 600 to 700 lymph nodes that filter waste and pathogens from the cells and their surrounding tissue. When lymph, a clear fluid containing white blood cells, doesn't drain properly, it can build up, often in the extremities, causing chronic and progressive swelling. This condition, called lymphedema, is rare in children but a congenital form, called primary lymphedema, can appear at birth or soon after. One grouping of lymph nodes is located behind the knees; a pediatric lymphedema called Milroy disease usually affects the knees and lower legs. Lymphedema might be one condition in a syndrome involving other birth defects, so swift diagnosis and immediate treatment by a specialist is in order.
References
- A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia: Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Journal of Lymphoedema; Presentation of Childhood Lymphoedema; Fiona Connell et al; 2009
- Lymphedema People: Lymphedema Children's and Pediatric
- Plymouth Hospitals NHS: How to Check Your Lymph Nodes
- Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Insect Sting Allergy
- Parenting and Child Health: Cuts, Grazes and Bruises
- Centers for Disease Control: Tetanus
- Lymph Notes: Understanding the Lymphatic System
