Understand your knee redness symptoms, including 6 causes & common questions.
6 causes of knee redness
This list does not constitute medical advice and may not accurately represent what you have.
Non-specific knee rash
A rash is an area of irritated or swollen skin. Often, rashes are unidentifiable and some variation of normal. For example, scratching one's arm causes it to turn red (which is caused by mast cells releasing chemicals into the local area), but that's completely normal.
Rarity: Common
Top Symptoms: knee redness
Symptoms that always occur with non-specific knee rash: knee redness
Urgency: Wait and watch
Allergic contact dermatitis of the knee
Allergic contact dermatitis is a condition in which the skin becomes irritated and inflamed following physical contact with an allergen. Common products known to cause allergic dermatitis include plants, metals, soap, fragrance, and cosmetics.
Rarity: Common
Top Symptoms: knee redness, knee itch, scabbed area of the knee
Symptoms that always occur with allergic contact dermatitis of the knee: knee redness
Urgency: Self-treatment
Skin infection of the knee
Cellulitis is an infection of the skin and tissues underneath it. It is most commonly caused by Group A strep and typically enters the body through a break in the skin.
Rarity: Uncommon
Top Symptoms: fever, knee pain, knee redness, knee injury, painful knee swelling
Symptoms that always occur with skin infection of the knee: knee redness, area of skin redness
Urgency: Primary care doctor
Insect bite from a chigger
Chiggers are mites that feed on humans and animals only while they are larvae, or their infant form. People can contract chiggers when they contact infected grass. Chiggers feed for three to four days on a piece of skin, and secrete a fluid that causes intense itching.
Rarity: Rare
Top Symptoms: lower leg itch, lower leg redness, knee itch, ankle itch, ankle redness
Urgency: Phone call or in-person visit
Necrotizing fasciitis of the leg
Necrotizing fasciitis is a potentially life threatening skin condition stemming from the infection of a wound or injury. If left untreated, it can spread to body parts surrounding the infection changing the color of the skin and degrading the tissue underneath. This can result in muscle, tissue or limb loss and a severe body-wide response to the infection.
Rarity: Ultra rare
Top Symptoms: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, chills
Symptoms that always occur with necrotizing fasciitis of the leg: leg skin changes
Urgency: Hospital emergency room
Lyme disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial illness transmitted through the bite of the deer tick (black-legged tick) after it has been attached for at least 36-48 hours. These may be tiny, immature ticks that are difficult to see, often attaching in a place on the body where hair grows.
The disease does not spread through casual contact, either between humans or between humans and pets.
Early symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and body aches. There may be a rash around the tick bite, which sometimes enlarges to form a clear circle around the bite.
Later symptoms are severe with headaches, neck stiffness, further rashes, facial drooping (palsy,) and joint pain and swelling. This is a medical emergency. Take the patient to the emergency room or call 9-1-1.
Untreated Lyme disease in a pregnant woman can lead to stillbirth, but antibiotics will usually prevent this.
Diagnosis is made through symptoms as well as a blood test.
Treatment consists of oral antibiotics in most cases, though severe cases may require IV antibiotics.
Rarity: Ultra rare
Top Symptoms: fatigue, headache, irritability, muscle aches, loss of appetite
Urgency: Primary care doctor
So... which condition is actually causing your knee redness?
Free, secure, and powered by Buoy advanced AI to get you the best way to better. Learn about our technology.
Questions your doctor may ask about knee redness
To diagnose this condition, your doctor would likely ask the following questions:
- Do you have a rash?
- Is the red area flaky and rough to the touch?
- The redness affects one knee or both knees?
- Did your symptoms start after you were exposed to nickel (commonly found in jean snaps, metal pens, paper clips, cigarettes, etc.)?
Self-diagnose with our free Buoy Assistant if you answer yes on any of these questions.
Knee redness symptom checker statistics
People who have experienced knee redness have also experienced:
- 9% Knee Pain
- 8% Lower Leg Redness
- 5% Upper Leg Redness
People who have experienced knee redness were most often matched with:
- 80% Skin Infection Of The Knee
- 20% Allergic Contact Dermatitis Of The Knee
People who have experienced knee redness had symptoms persist for:
- 48% Less than a day
- 26% Over a month
- 20% Less than a week
Source: Aggregated and anonymized results from Buoy Assistant.