Baker's Cyst Archives

The Probem with Baker's Cysts

Hi, I wrote this in response to a response to a post from a few days ago, but it took on a life of its own, so I thought I would make it a primary post, too.

Marge, Leesa is right about one thing, there are no definitive answers. That is because Baker's Cyst is a symptom of other problems in your knee, not a primary disease. These other problems cause inflammation and fluid buildup in the knee joint. Because the knee is usually working hard, the fluid can cause a "pooching out" of the synovial membrane through the tough fibers of the outer joint capsule. Often, there is a tear in the membrane leading to a "blow-out", where fluid can move out of the joint and up and down the leg. The fluid buildup behind the knee, or in the calf, can lead to pain. To solve this problem requires a comprehensive approach which is almost never used by medical professionals. That is why, if you read the Archives under Baker's Cyst, you will see many postings by people who have had surgery for the problem, which then came back.
Baker's Cyst is one of those problematical areas for doctors. They would like to be able to trim a meniscus, or shave some funky articular cartilage, and believe that the swelling will leave and the blowout be healed. Not necessarily so. Because the fluid is always leaving the joint via the breached membrane, more is being produced--like a leaky faucet. Perhaps, if a person could stay off the knee and keep it elevated for an extensive period, the tear might heal. But it rarely happens. Dr. Stoll believes that one must solve the primary problem, then go in and trim and suture the breached membrane to seal the leak. Then one must deal with the precipitating causes for the injury to the knee in the first place--often stress-related bracing of the muscles. That is why he recommends reading the Archives, where you will find recommendations for nutritional supplements, skilled relaxation, and underwater therapy in addition to information about what needs to be done to heal the cyst.
I had knee injuries and a Baker's Cyst, and I scoured the web looking for answers. Dr. Stoll's answers made the most sense. But even knowing what must be done, it is hard to get it done by the Orthos. I demanded answers to how she would fix the cyst. Despite all my logic, she insisted that fixing the meniscal tears would fix the cyst. She didn't want to deal with the leaky faucet aspect. Since I have an adventurous soul, after hounding the Ortho mercilessly, I went for the surgery, which ended up involving trimming both medial and lateral menisci, plus two sutures way at the back of the medial meniscus, where it had come loose from its attachments (the Ortho's "repair" to the Baker's Cyst). She also hacked away piles of hanging fibers she termed synovitis. I am now 5 weeks past the arthroscopic surgery (which I watched on TV while it was performed.) I've had 5 weeks of physical therapy, plus 3 weeks of my personal swimming therapy. The giant, hinged knee brace comes off in 9 days. What about the swelling? You guessed it. It's still there. I am hoping it will subside, because I had good luck before surgery rehabing the leg. But I am not holding my breath for a miracle. I know enough about hydraulics to realize that water is hard to contain. I am not discouraged, however, because I knew what I was up against, and chose accordingly. If this doesn't heal, I will have an accounting with the Ortho. Even allopathic doctors must sometimes face their failures and learn from them.
In any case, when Dr. Stoll says read the archives, he is not shining you on, he is pointing you towards a wealth of information and experiences shared by many in your position. Then you, too, can make an informed decision. Good luck.

Re: The Problem with Baker's Cysts (Archive.) Great summary.