What is a Baker's cyst? An urgent question is which doctor should be contacted in order to cure her.
It should be noted that knots of various types can often occur in the knee. The classification is based on development and location.
One of the types of pathology is Baker's or Becker's cyst. She is also known as Bekhtereva. There are also alternative medical names, but they are not popular among patients. In everyday life, this disease is often called a common hernia.
It should be noted that a Baker's cyst is considered to be clearly circumscribed and abnormal. This formation is benign and looks like an elastic capsule. Located in the popliteal cup.
Features
It is necessary to highlight the features that distinguish the cyst from othersdiseases.
- The tumor under the knee is dense, although in fact the cyst is a structure with viscous contents. If you straighten the limb well, then the formation will be very noticeable.
- Baker's cyst of the knee joint can be an oval, a hemisphere, or have an X-shaped appearance. There is even a complex formation, when several cysts grow together, they have small nodules.
- The cyst can grow to a huge size, the maximum is 12 cm. Due to this, severe pain occurs, and it becomes difficult to move the joint.
- Node, as a rule, one, but there are also cases in which small formations occur.
- Most often, such a tumor occurs only on one leg, but it can be diagnosed on two at once.
- Sometimes a neoplasm, having a small size, can resolve on its own, mainly therapeutic treatment is required. Baker's cyst can occur at an early age, at which there is a good chance of self-healing.
- Most often this disease occurs in young women, in people who are actively involved in sports, subject themselves to physical exertion. If we talk about children, then they are diagnosed with this disease from 9 to 15 years old.
- This pathology does not develop into a malignant tumor.
How to treat a Baker's cyst of the knee? Only a doctor can help in this matter. Depending on the complexity of the situation, he will prescribe conservative or surgical treatment.
As already mentionedabove, the tumor can remain painless and small for many years, but most often it progresses, thereby negatively affecting the life of the patient. The exact cause of this cyst has not been established. Doctors know only the factors that provoke the disease and directly how the pathology develops in the future.
Development of disease
Baker's popliteal cyst forms in the capsule when a large amount of fluid accumulates. The latter is called synovia. It is a thick secret that is created in the articular bag. Synovia is necessary in order to lubricate the joint from the inside. Thanks to this, the surface does not wear out, there is no friction. The mobility of the knee is quite high.
If the amount of this fluid increases, it begins to drain under the knee. Due to this, a special cavity is formed. When a person loads the knee joint, it provokes the development of the disease. Due to body weight and additional load, the fluid is gradually squeezed out, as a result of which a cyst capsule is created.
Causes of primary pathology
Baker's popliteal cyst may occur primarily. In this case, the cause will be some kind of injury or even damage. Moreover, blows, subluxations and compression can lead to the development of the disease, especially if they occur quite often.
Causes of secondary pathology
If we are talking about a secondary pathology, then quite a large number of diseases can provoke it.
Among them it should be noted:
- Geneticpredisposition.
- Overloading the joint. Usually this reason is more inherent in athletes or people who prefer to lead an active lifestyle.
- Inflammation of the bag in which the synovium is directly formed. This disease is also called bursitis.
- Degenerative transformations.
- Chronic diseases that affect the musculoskeletal system. These include arthrosis, arthritis, periarthritis, and so on.
- Very often in babies who are not yet 6 years old, a cyst occurs due to heavy loads in sports sections. Parents do not understand that a child at this age cannot be very zealous in the classroom, as he has weak ligaments and cartilage. Therefore, it is quite easy to get injured and provoke the appearance of a cyst.
It should be noted that a complete list of the exact causes of this disease has not been determined. And, unfortunately, there are a very large number of situations in which it is simply not possible to identify a provoking factor in a particular patient.
Symptomatics
Small cyst does not show itself. If it begins to progress, the person will feel constant pain, discomfort. The patient may notice that it is difficult for him to move his knee. Often there is a feeling that something is bursting under the joint. The skin of the lower leg and knee loses sensitivity.
Treatment of uncomplicated cyst
If the cyst is uncomplicated, then treatment, as a rule, is not prescribed. You just need to periodically check your he alth and come todoctor for an examination. There is a very high chance that the cyst will disappear on its own.
Treatment of a neglected case
If there are any pain or other symptoms, then a puncture is performed. However, conservative treatment cannot bring any guarantee that a relapse will not occur. Sometimes the problem may return after a couple of years. There were cases when this period was reduced even to a few days. Moreover, it should be noted that with each puncture, the risk that an infection will be introduced into the body increases. That is why surgery is often done.
Baker's cyst is usually removed in a few hours. The procedure is carried out under local anesthesia. Motor functions return to a person quite quickly. As a rule, by the evening the patient is already discharged from the hospital. The stitches are removed after a week. For the first seven days, the doctor limits the patient in physical activity. It is advisable to wear a special bandage at this time. After 2-3 weeks, the patient can return to his usual life.
Consequences
If you do not treat the Baker's cyst of the knee, you can face serious consequences. With an increase in the volume of contents that accumulate in the capsule, the cyst is likely to rupture. Due to this, the synovium will begin to impregnate the lower leg. Accordingly, not only the knee will swell, but also the calf. This condition will be complicated by the fact that a person will feel burning, itching and pain. In addition, redness of the skin will appear. Sometimes it happens that the fabric thatwas saturated with synovia, begins to fester. Because of this, the infection will spread throughout the body, respectively, the entire limb will be affected. This condition requires immediate medical attention.
The inflammatory process lasts up to 4 weeks. This can lead not only to blood poisoning, but also to death. It is also necessary to clarify that during this period the patient experiences severe pain.
Serious complications
If we talk about more advanced cases, then a person may have other complications. The most serious should be noted:
- Purulent arthritis.
- Sepsis.
- Numbness of limbs. This is due to the fact that the nerve fibers die.
- If the infection gets into the bone tissue, osteomyelitis will begin to develop.
- Cells often die as the affected knee stops getting enough blood.
- Trophic ulcers appear. They are the result of compression of blood vessels and muscles.
- The person completely loses the ability to move the knee.
- Shin can swell, varicose veins appear, as well as thrombophlebitis. This is due to the fact that due to fluid leakage, the blood begins to stagnate.
- If the vessels become clogged, then, most likely, blood clots will form, which can come off at any moment. This can lead to death. At best, a person will have a stroke or heart attack.
Diagnosis
Before you start treating a Baker's cyst of the knee, you need tounderstand how the diagnosis is made. At the moment, special instrumental methods are used:
- In order to completely exclude the development of a malignant formation, it is necessary to puncture the cyst by piercing it with a thin needle. Next, the liquid is removed and directly examined.
- X-ray. It is necessary in order to assess the overall condition of the joint. A cyst is not diagnosed with this method of examination, since it is not clear what kind of formation.
- Computed tomography. This method allows you to make a more accurate diagnosis than using conventional ultrasound. Thanks to this method, you can understand how soft tissues have suffered.
- Arthroscopy. If a person has a complex pathology, especially if there are prerequisites for surgical intervention, this procedure must be done. Thanks to this method, abnormal changes in the knee can be detected. Do it necessarily in combination with anesthesia.
- Ultrasound. Allows you to calculate the size of the cyst and understand exactly where it is.
- MRI. The use of this method allows diagnosing the disease at an early stage. This is especially true if the size of the formation does not exceed 10 mm.
Sometimes differential diagnosis is used. It is necessary in order to distinguish a popliteal hernia from a real tumor, as well as malignant nodes.
Selection of treatment method
How to treat a Baker's cyst depends entirely on the results that were obtained during the diagnosis. You should not refuse any of the methods prescribed by your doctor. If you conduct a comprehensive diagnosis, you can get a complete picture of the patient's condition. Thanks to this, the effectiveness of treatment will be maximum.
Sports loads
Among patients, the question of whether it is possible to engage in physical education if a Baker's cyst has been diagnosed is relevant.
It should be noted that tumors often occur due to the huge level of stress and directly from the chosen sport. Especially dangerous are those exercises that put pressure on the knee along the vertical axis. Because of this, cysts often occur. When the formation or inflammation only appears, the doctor may allow you to engage in exclusively physiotherapy exercises. In this case, the composition of the exercises should be prescribed only by the attending specialist.
If you play sports (even the most minimal), such as gymnastics, aerobics, acrobatics, jumping and running, then the cyst may rupture. That is why heavy lifting and dynamic loads should be excluded. Especially when it comes to a child's education.
Speaking of remission, it should be noted that during it, doctors allow yoga, swimming, Pilates. Thanks to light gymnastics, the muscles can be slightly stretched and made more elastic and resilient.
In order to exclude the recurrence of the Baker's cyst of the knee joint, it is necessary to wear a special knee brace, which will allow to reduceload on the joint. Summing up, it should be said that it is practically forbidden to play sports with a cyst. This can affect a person's he alth and worsen his condition. It should be noted that if the cyst ruptures, it will be much more difficult to treat.
Prevention
In order to prevent the formation of a Baker's cyst under the knee, it is necessary to monitor your he alth and not get injuries of the musculoskeletal system.
- You should protect your knee from excessive stress, and immediately treat any injuries that occur.
- You need to lose weight if you are obese. This will reduce the pressure on the joints.
- You need to do sports every day in order for the blood flow in the lower extremities to be normal.
- Also wear comfortable shoes.
- Don't kneel for too long, use soft bedding when exercising.
- During rest, legs should be placed in a slightly elevated position. Thanks to this, the blood will not stagnate.
- If there are unpleasant symptoms in the knee or pain, you need to see a doctor.
- Children are also susceptible to this pathology. Therefore, they should be prohibited from jumping from great heights.
It is quite difficult and long to treat a Baker's cyst. Joints must always be kept in good condition. So you can prevent the described disease.
