Baker's Cyst

[ERDocsMom]

Well that's disheartening. It was a year last July since my knee replacement and my Baker's Cyst is becoming more and more symptomatic. Even going down stairs is difficult because my knee doesn't want to bend back that far as I unweight it.

 

[skigirl]

I think that you should contact your OS. I had one Baker's Cyst drained and then they put some cortisone in there and it went away. I think there are some treatments for one that is a certain size, especially if it is interferring with you rom.

 

[ERDocsMom]

Oh, that's one thing I forgot to mention. I moved to South Korea about 6 weeks ago (not Seoul but Jeju Island where there is very little English spoken and the medical care is not the best). My OS is in California. I may have to go to Bangkok where they have good medical care. A lady I know here had her knee done there. Thank you! It's good to know they might still be able to do something!

 

[KneeAware]

I was told by my OS there was nothing he could do other than send me to PT to have ultrasound and heat treatments there. He would not consider draining and/or cortisone. If it flares up again I will keep this in mind skigirl

 

[Butterfly]

ERDocsMom What do you do in South Korea? Teach?

 

[Mimi]

Josephine, this is so true, "Second, the back of the knee is what is commonly referred to by surgeons as "tiger country" as there is an awful lot of major structures there in a very confined space - popliteal artery, popliteal vein and some fairly important nerves and third, the recovery is almost as tough as a TKR."

I would have given anything for this information prior to my surgery. Not only did I have a "difficult recovery" but the removal of a baker's cyst that I never knew existed, made my recovery even more trying and painful. My pain levels due to the back of my knee were very bad for months. I still have days when the back of my knee acts up.I was put on an oral steroid several times in my recovery to try and "calm" the back of my knee down. I still go on them from time to time because of the back of my knee.

Perhaps this is also part of the reason I have had ROM issues. I am back in PT after 2 years to help gain some of the ROM I have lost. It was not good to start with and now is worse. I am seeing a slow change and my knee feels looser. I have had that frozen knee feeling for 2 years!

 

[skigirl]

Mimi, I am so sorry to hear of your problems!

 

[nicolse]

That's not quite what it is, Kelly. Actually it's a perfectly natural fold in the synovium. The synovial membrane is baggy and has folds and crevices so it accommodates the activity of the joint. It's also a lining to the capsule.

Where the cyst is, there is a natural sac, bursa or fold. There are more above and below the patellar as you can see on this image

Normally, the synovial fluid produced by the membrane ebbs and flows in and out of the bursa. But if the channel gets occluded because of inflammation, then the membrane within still goes on producing the fluid and a cyst develops. The reason it seems to come and go is because the blockage isn't permanent and if the pressure gets high enough or the inflammation or swelling goes down, the channel will open and allow that natural flow to continue.

When you have a replacement, all the diseased and inflamed tissue - bone, cartilage and some of the synovium - is removed so the likelihood of a Baker's cyst continuing afterwards, though technically possible, would actually be pretty rare.

Your description and explanation of a baker's cyst was quite helpful to understand. My surgeon drained my baker's cyst during knee replacement surgery. I has returned and is limiting my ROM and extension (along with a very sore hamstring tendon); Given your explanation, if sounds to me that the fluid will drain in time. Am I correct? Is there anything I can do (or stop doing) to facilitate this draining? It's most uncomfortable.

Susan