If you have a job in California that requires frequent kneeling and/or squatting, you may be at risk for developing knee bursitis, a painful condition that can limit your ability to work due to decreased mobility.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac that provides cushioning and reduces friction between your bones and the soft tissues of your knee, including muscles, tendons and skin. There are several bursae situated around your knee for this purpose. Frequent and prolonged pressure on your knee can cause one or more of the bursae to become inflamed, resulting in symptoms such as pain, swelling, tenderness and warmth. People who work in jobs like gardening or carpet-laying that require frequent kneeling are at greater risk for developing knee bursitis, as are people whose work involves strenuous activity.
If your job requires a lot of kneeling, you can reduce your risk for developing bursitis by wearing protective kneepads that cushion the tissues within the joint. You can also help prevent bursitis by taking frequent breaks to relieve the pressure on the bursae and by avoiding squatting positions to the extent possible.
In the event that you develop bursitis in the knee despite prevention efforts, your doctor may prescribe conservative treatment measures of rest, anti-inflammatory medication and physical therapy. If your symptoms do not respond, your doctor may suggest an aspiration to remove excess fluid in the bursae, a corticosteroid injection to reduce inflammation or surgical bursa removal.
The information in this article is not intended as legal advice but provided for educational purposes only.
