Finally, if the bursa becomes infected , the front of the knee becomes swollen, very tender and warm to the touch around the bursa. You may run a fever and begin to chill. An abscess may form on the front of the knee and drain pus if the infection is not treated fairly quickly. The diagnosis of pre-patellar bursitis is usually obvious from the physical examination. In cases where there is immediate swelling after a fall, or other injury to the patella, X-rays may be necessary to make sure that there is no fracture in the patella.
Chronic bursitis is usually pretty easy to diagnose without any special tests.
If there is a question whether or not infection may be a possibility, a needle may be inserted into the bursa and the fluid removed. This fluid will be sent to the lab for tests to determine if infection is present, what type of bacteria is causing the infection, and what antibiotic will work best to cure the infection. Pre-patellar bursitis that is caused by an injury will usually go away on its own. The body will absorb the blood in the bursa over a several week period and the bursa should return to normal. If the swelling in the bursa is causing a slow recovery, a needle may be inserted to drain the blood and speed up the process.