How to Treat Bone Marrow Edema of the Knee

Bone marrow edema of the knee is a rare condition in which the main symptoms are bone and joint pain. The pain occurs during rest and while under stress and is self-limiting within six to 12 months, meaning that the symptoms will dissipate and spontaneously disappear within that time frame. However, there are two treatment methods, conservative therapy and surgery.

Things You'll Need

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Instructions

• 1

  Know that bone marrow edema is a rare condition and is observed with magnetic resonance imaging. The BME is known to migrate between different joint and the severe pain occurs while at rest as well as under stress. BME occurs spontaneous without trauma and may resolve itself spontaneously within six to 12 months.

• 2

  Know that there are two treatment options for this condition. The first type of treatment is conservative and involves reduction of weight-bearing activities and implementation of analgesic and anti-inflammatory medications. This course of treatment tends to be successful but may take six months to a year for the pain and symptoms to disappear.

• 3

  Decide whether surgical treatment is necessary based on whether the conservative treatment was effective. In the event that the symptoms did not dissipate or even increased in severity, surgery may be a course to obtain relief. The surgery for BME is core decompression. A tiny hole is drilled into the knee and this relieves pressure, facilitates new growth and increases blood flow to the area.