Understanding and Treating Baker's Cyst

I have a degenerative tear in my MCL and osteoarthritis which lead to my Baker’s cyst. My orthopedic surgeon treats me with cortisone injections, but last time I asked him to also drain the cyst with a needle. It was life changing. It immediately improved my mobility so much I actually cried. Everybody is different, but this is the treatment that works for me.

I had a bakers cyst, in association with a torn meniscus. Doctor drained the cyst (several syringes full of fluid); had arthroscopic surgery to repair the tear, which did nothing. Two years later I had total knee replacement. No knee pain now.

You two are so great! Keep doing what you’re doing! I love the humor mixed in with the factual info!

I’m 67, 6’4” 220. After a lifetime of playing sports I have cartilage tears in both knees, which I have made the decision, when the tears happened, 30 years apart, not to have them surgically repaired. Instead I rehabilitated the knees myself by icing, swimming, stretching, and in the weight room. I took up tennis in my early 40’s. Long story short, I have baker’s cysts behind both knees. I manage them by stretching, swimming, and lifting weights, I also ice my knees for 20 minutes after I play tennis. I have found at this age I can play one or two serious 4.0 tennis matches a week, and I can do drills, or hit with the ball machine, or play a social tennis match 2 or 3 times a week. The key to managing the size of the bakers cyst is as follows. Ice after every tennis event, stretch every day, swim laps, freestyle, and breast stroke 3-5 days a week, lift weights 3 days a week. My goal is to keep the knees flexible, strong, and aligned properly. If the bakers cysts get too large I cut back on the serious tennis matches for a week or two, but I rarely have to do this. I imagine if you don’t play sports, and don’t swim. Managing your weight, stretching every day, lifting weights 3 days a week, and icing would help you manage your bakers cysts properly.

I developed a Baker's cyst after a meniscus tear in my right knee. I was told to have the surgery (after an MRI) by 3 different ortho surgeons. All well and good, except at the time (20 years ago) i was my dad's sole caregiver, and I was also told the surgery required would demand that I not walk, climb stairs, etc for 3 days. I was the only member of my family who could take care of my beloved Dad, who couldn't walk or feed himself. The 4th surgeon could feel the cyst and also wanted to do the surgery....I begged and pleaded that if I couldn't take care of my dad (or me!) he took the risk to drain it. He said if I needed it drained again, he wouldn't do it, and if there was blood in the fluid, he would stop. It worked like a charm! I did need it drained one more time, but that was it. My knee injury remains, and I have to be cautious with stairs and such, but I've gotten by. Low impact everything...but I never liked running, though my job (I'm in a pharmacy) requires me to stand for long periods. Had I seen this video 20 years ago, yikes! i'm not squeamish, so naturally I wanted to look at the contents of the massive syringe. Painless and no blood!

over thirty years ago I was holding my baby in his car seat, standing on a rock patio, when one of the rocks I was standing on let go, I went down on my knee hard, kept the baby in the car seat! Next day my friend noticed the lump at the back of my knee. It didn't really hurt, but was weird looking and feeling. Dr called it a Bakers cyst. My friend was studying Shiatsu, and worked on my knee a few times. It didn't take long, maybe a few weeks/months, and it finally went away. So weird. Knee was fine too, just sore and bruised for awhile. Thanks for your show! :)

I very much appreciate just how you deliver all your medical information, Thanks Docs

You just confirmed everything my doctors told me that’s a baker cyst you have in the back of your knee more than likely caused from your arthritis. He showed me how to walk better and massage the lump. . That was years ago and it still keeps coming back plus now I have partial bone on bone. I’m only 83 doctor says take your Aleve if it’s really hurting rest with your legs elevated and a bottle of beer won’t hurt you. I love my doctor.

I woke up with a Bakers Cyst. Couldn't bend leg at all. Hospital put an elastic bandage on. Fell trying to walk upstairs. Went to hospital again. They gave me a full leg brace. Now I have arthritis of the knee. I wondered if these things were related. Now I know. This was very helpful.

Hi In the age of 65, I'm 74 now, I went out for the run with minor pain behind my left knee. Before that, I took some anti-inflammatory to ease the pain. So far so good, running turn on smooth and nice. (10km) Next day when I woke up of a pain in left leg and I looked in the mirror, the whole leg looked like an elephant's leg. I was shocked! After the telephone call to my regular doctor, quick visit to emergency. There was the "good" news, no blood clots, it's "just" Baker's cyst bursting and spreading in the whole leg because of lying down. That was also the end of my career of regular running on the streets. Further investigation with MRT showed that the knee was quite damaged, I had some surgeries 6,7 years before the incident for meniscus damage. Nowadays, it's maximum 10 minutes on the band and there is of course cycling and walking. Quality shoes are essential.

love the good humor with the docs regards from ireland

At 22 I fractured my knee. Got a cyst couple months later. Big, painful. Didn’t see a dr. Went down slowly after a year. But many many years later I do feel pain back there. But it’s likely arthritis. Pain is intermittent. I do squats and lunges and it hurts in my patella the first rep or two. Then it’s fine the rest of the workout. It’s livable. Ty kindly for this video. Really appreciate the information you guys share with people in the world.

I had bilateral baker's cysts back in high school. They manifested during the baseball season, but in mid-summer, when the season ended, the cysts always diminished from a maximum of 2 cm to non-existence as Fall and Winter arrived. They were never painful but would always re-occur as soon as I began to run again during the following baseball season. There never was an injury. During college track and field, the cysts were not a problem, but could be detected. I am now 79 and the cysts have stabilized at 3cm max after 10-15 years of hiking. Never had surgery or aspiration by needle. They were never painful during these later years as well. Your video supports my decisions not to have the cysts removed surgically or have them reduced by removal of contents. I presumed my cysts were congenital. Thanks for the video.

I didn’t know. I had a Bakers Cyst until I was in the ER thinking I had a blood clot so painful. Knee replacement advised to prevent reoccurrence.

As a caregiver, lifting and repositioning the person caused my Bakers cyst. A compression band and modifying how I lift helped relieve and heal it.

New subscriber! Great Channel! I am a nurse and appreciate the education your providing to the public in an easy to understand format. Well done!

I had a lime sized popliteal cyst, no rupture thank goodness. I’m telling you it interfered with my range of motion and was very painful. Fast forward 9 years, I had my Right TKR last summer and thankfully the cyst has either receded or was all that pain really from my destroyed ligaments? I love my new knee so much. Thank you to my surgeon and P.A. in Charlotte NC at OrthoCarolina.

I've had a Baker's cyst for years! I have an arthritic knee; likely to be replaced when the surgeon can do the surgery (6-9 months). I'm not complaining, I dont mind waiting. At times, the cyst limits my knee mobility, and it aches or stings/burns. On those days, I wear my knee brace, and I can still walk and get my daily steps in. No big deal, and I'm 68 and still walking daily and hope to for years to come.

Great presentation and humor LOVE IT.... Thank you

Love the humor, and it makes it so much more interesting but to the point. 🤓