Synovitis is a health condition marked by synovial membrane inflammation. Synovial membranes line the inside of all your freely movable joints, which are the most abundant ones in the body. And it secretes synovial fluid into the synovial cavity.
In adults, the knee is frequently the joint affected by synovitis. And for children it’s the hip, what’s referred to as toxic synovitis.
Toxic synovitis is a condition that causes inflammation of the synovial membrane in a child’s hip for reasons unknown. What is known is that this type of inflammation happens in boys far more often than girls before the age of puberty.
Adult form of synovitis may be caused or associated with other health conditions, mainly:
A wound or traumatic injury, like a severe joint sprain, can also cause synovial membrane inflammation.
Typical synovitis symptoms involve joint pain, swelling, tenderness, redness, stiffness and restricted range of motion. A child experiencing toxic synovitis may run a low grade fever, limp and complain of hip pain.
Generally, toxic synovitis will resolve on its own within a couple of weeks without specific treatment. Taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (for instance ibuprofen, never aspirin for a child) may help reduce inflammation causing pain symptoms. Cortisone injections are sometimes used on adults experiencing extreme synovial membrane inflammation symptoms. In most cases, synovitis inflammation subsides without the need for any further treatment.