Baker's cyst - did yours go away?

[O2Bfree]

Last October, my knee got inflamed after a short jog in stiff-soled hiking boots. After waiting a few months to see if it got better, and trying an anti-inflammatory med (Meloxicam) for a few weeks, I had an MRI. Turned out I'd irritated a meniscus tear that's probably been there for many years. Also developed a small Baker's cyst. I had a meniscectomy in March, which went well, and I had no trouble getting back to my normal activities.

But the Baker's cyst is still there and I'm wondering if it'll ever go away. Doc said to try the Meloxicam again for a few weeks and see what happens. So I started that again last week.

Has anyone had a Baker's cyst that went away? If so, how long did it take, and did you do anything in particular to treat it?

 

[Ronstar]

I don't know for sure if mine is a Baker's cyst, but I get a swelling lump behind my knee after long or strenuous runs. Same knee that I had surgically repaired 40 years ago. The swelling always goes away after a week of rest. But it always comes back when I overdo it. I don't take anything for it - it isn't painful or debilitating - just makes my knee a little stiff until the swelling goes down.

 

[O2Bfree]

That does sound like a Baker's Cyst, Ronstar. From what I've read, they often don't cause much trouble, and many people don't even realize they have one. But apparently they can sometimes get quite large and painful, and can even rupture, causing pain and swelling in the calf, similar to what you might get from a blood clot.

Seems like very localized compression could possibly squeeze the cyst's fluid back into the knee's synovium over time, but I haven't read anything that recommends such a treatment.

 

[Mark1]

Yup, I had one about 7 or 8 years ago. It took maybe 1 to 2 years to completely go away. I went to an Orthopedic Specialist and he recommended that we just let the body fix it and ultimately it just went away on its own. I might think about it once or twice a year while exercising when I bend my knee a certain way, but I have had no real issues the past 5-6 years.

 

[O2Bfree]

I went to an Orthopedic Specialist and he recommended that we just let the body fix it and ultimately it just went away on its own.

I was hoping the surgeon would drain it or something when he did the meniscectomy, but he went the same route, saying they typically don't treat them. So I guess I'll just be patient and see what happens.

 

[Telly]

No experience with knee-joint synovial fluid (nor do I want any experience!), but I do have experience with abused finger-joint synovial fluid.

Some years ago we had a big ice storm. Trees damaged and breaking all over. I was doing clean up work on a couple of our trees using an extra heavy-duty fiberglass step ladder, and a chain saw. Being up on that particular ladder it is solid like the Rock of Gibraltar, but I think it weighs about the same! The ladder steps are made of aluminum C-channel, with the "C" facing down. I tended to carry and reposition the ladder with it open, using my left hand to lift the step side, the heaviest side, by reaching around the side rail, hand under the front of a step. The bottom fin of the C-channel is less than 1/8" thick, pointing down. This thin edge was exerting a great amount of pressure on my finger joints where fingers meet palm. I had leather gloves on most of the time.

My hand really started to hurt after a couple hours of work, including holding the cross handle on the chainsaw. I figured I must be getting a blister across two fingers there. Towards the end, I pulled off the glove to look... no blisters! But boy did it ache in the joints on two fingers. Within hours, I developed a solid lump on each of those two fingers, just up the finger from the palm. Doing some internet medical research, I seem to have stressed the joints badly, forcing synovial fluid out into adjacent tissue.

For a few weeks those two joints were very sore, like I had arthritis. And the two lumps were hard and tender. I avoided lifting much of anything with that hand for a month. I'm not a doctor, and I haven't stayed in a Holiday Inn for a long time, but my guess is: The loss of synovial fluid in the joints created joint pain due to lack of lubrication and isolation. Eventually, I assume that the body made more fluid and re-floated the joints, as the joint pain went away. And over a longer period of time, maybe 6 months, the body tissues finally absorbed and broke down the synovial fluid were it wasn't supposed to be.

I permanently fixed the ladder issue by riveting on some aluminum right-angle channel to the back side of the offending step's C-channel front fin, effectively widening the lifting area by a factor of >10!

 

[Turbo29]

But apparently they can sometimes get quite large and painful, and can even rupture, causing pain and swelling in the calf, similar to what you might get from a blood clot.

Been there, done that. Had a "full" feeling in the back of my knee for a while (many months) then all of the sudden intense pain in my calf. Called the advice nurse and was told to go the emergency room immediately. They called an ultrasound tech in (it was night and one was not immediately available) to scan my leg and make sure it wasn't a blood clot. Diagnosis, popliteal ("Baker's") cyst that had ruptured.



That was 13 years ago at the age of 50. Still get a slight swelling behind my knees now and then but it comes and goes. No more ruptures and fluid in the calf.

 

[Callitaday2022]

Baker's cyst is just an extension of the knee joint synovial capsule. Google it and hit images to get a visual. Swelling or effusion just goes the path of least resistance. You have to fix the problem within the knee, or change activity levels to reduce irritation to get the swelling down.