What is the difference between swollen and inflamed

You step in a hole and turn your ankle or your knee. You throw too much and feel a twinge in your shoulder. You try to break your fall with your wrist. Acute injuries are easy to recognize: first comes the pain, and then comes the swelling. Chronic or long-term injuries take weeks, sometimes even months, to develop, but it is the same story: first comes the pain, then swelling.

Swelling is a normal reaction of the body to an injury. Sometimes the body goes overboard and the swelling response is excessive. When this happens it can actually begin to cause more harm than good. Swelling is any abnormal enlargement of a body part. It is typically the result of inflammation or a buildup of fluid. Edema describes swelling in the tissue outside of the joint. Effusion describes swelling that is inside a joint, such as a swollen ankle or knee. An imaging scan can show an enlarged organ, muscle, or bone.

A scan can help diagnose internal swelling, which is harder to identify. If your swelling was caused by an injury, sting, or disease, you might experience a wide range of symptoms. These include:. Inflammation in your bones, tissues, or muscles can result in external swelling. Cysts and tumors may also cause visible swelling. Although fluid retention is an internal condition, it may also cause external swelling. Localized swelling refers to situations where just one specific area is swollen.

For example, a person with an eye infection may experience swelling only around the eyes. A person who has been stung by an insect may experience swelling only in the area of the sting. Widespread swelling occurs over a large area of the body. This is usually a sign of serious illness. People with diabetes or certain forms of cancer can experience widespread swelling, or swelling in their extremities, such as their fingers and toes.

This form of swelling may appear periodically. Inside of your body, swelling is often the result of organ inflammation, fluid retention, or flatulence. Your doctor may do a variety of tests to diagnose your swelling and its cause. An imaging test, such as an ultrasound, can offer more information about the cause of the swelling. Resources and supports can be put in place in the home or school as needed. Your child will be closely monitored by their health-care team, including doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, dieticians and child life specialists.

Your child may also be followed by other specialty teams such as ophthalmology, neurology, immunology or rheumatology. It is important to have your child regularly monitored, even after treatment has finished and your child is feeling healthy.

Your child may develop complications that are only mildly symptomatic or absent asymptomatic that still require treatment. The health team will also need to monitor the potential effects of treatments by completing regular blood testing, imaging or other tests. At many paediatric hospitals, a child may continue to be followed by a paediatric specialist until they are 18 years of age.

When they turn 18, they will need adult care. Your child's specialist will be able to tell you what to expect in terms of visits and how to transition to adult care. Contact your child's health-care team, call or go to the nearest Emergency Department right away if your child experiences any of the following:.

If your child develops sudden symptoms of their auto-inflammatory illness, please contact their health-care team. Skip to main content. It looks like your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. Please turn on JavaScript and try again. Listen Focus. What is inflammation? Signs and symptoms.

Signs of inflammation after injury or infection When an injury occurs, the cells of our immune system immediately travel to the site of injury or irritation and the inflammatory response begins. Signs of inflammation during auto-inflammation During auto-inflammation, cells of the immune system also travel to certain sites in the body.

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