CONDITION: Baker's Cyst

DESCRIPTION:

A baker's cyst involves an accumulation of synovial fluid that forms behind one of the knee joints. This may result in swelling and pain in the back of the knee, which in turn may interfere with bending or straightening the knee. Baker’s cysts occur most often among adults between 55 and 70, as well as among children 4 to 7 years old. As many as one in five individuals who have experienced other knee problems develop a baker's cyst.

How does a baker’s cyst develop?
Synovial fluid normally circulates throughout the knee and passes in and out of various tissue pouches, called bursae. A valve-like system between the knee joint and the bursa on the back of the knee regulates the amount of synovial fluid moving in and out of the bursa. Sometimes the knee produces too much synovial fluid, such as when the joint is inflamed due either to one of several types of arthritis or to a knee injury, especially a cartilage tear. This damage or injury within the knee causes swelling, with the synovial fluid pumped from the knee to the fluid-filled sac, which the affected individual experiences as a baker’s cyst.

What are the symptoms of a baker’s cyst?
Although a baker’s cyst may cause no symptoms, it is often associated with knee pain and/or tightness behind the knee, especially when the knee is extended or fully flexed. The cysts are usually visible as a bulge behind the knee, which is particularly noticeable when standing and when compared to the other, uninvolved knee. Baker’s cysts are generally soft to the touch and minimally tender.
Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of a baker’s cyst, but they do not address the root of the problem. By strengthening structural weaknesses in the body, as natural medicine treatments like Prolotherapy do, pain associated with a baker’s cyst may be alleviated permanently.

Learn about Caring Medical’s approach to treating Baker’s cysts with Prolotherapy.