A Baker's Cyst: A Case Study

674 Words2 Pages

The man who first discovered the Baker’s Cyst in the mid 1800’s was a British man named Dr. William Morant Baker. A Baker’s Cyst also known as a popliteal cyst is located in the middle of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle and semimembranosus tendon. Sometimes the Baker’s Cyst can be mistaken for a blood clot because it presents the same symptoms. A magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI) can determine if the patient indeed has a cyst on the back of their leg. Other tests may be done to rule out other conditions as well. A Baker’s cyst is formed when a patient has damage, arthritis, or a meniscus tear in their knee. Arthritis is the generally the main cause of a formation of a Baker’s Cyst (Wright). Although any kind of knee injury …show more content…

If the patient has had the popliteal cyst for a long time the possibility of having it aspirated becomes less likely because the cyst can become a jelly like fluid and it is harder to suck out with a needle. Surgery to remove the cyst is very rare and will only be done if it causes constant pain and discomfort and no other treatments work for the patient. The synovial fluid leaks into the back of the knee causing a cyst. The cyst will be removed and the hole in the synovial sac is repaired. If the hole in the synovial sac is not sutured up then the cyst will most likely come back. The surgery has about a 50/50 chance of having successful outcomes in permanently keeping the Baker’s Cyst from reforming. If a Baker’s Cyst is not taken care of it can rupture and cause pain and swelling in your calf for a couple of weeks. If it ruptures it could be hard for a doctor to determine if it was a baker’s cyst or if the patient has Deep vein thrombosis in the leg. The cyst could get large enough where it will cut off blood circulation from the lower …show more content…

A Baker’s Cyst Removal outpatient procedure takes briefly one hour to operate on and allows the patient to go home the same day. The type of anesthesia used in an outpatient office procedure will usually be a localized anesthesia or a spinal tap. Only general anesthesia would be used at the hospital if the outpatient procedure was there. The surgeon will make a small incision on the back of the knee and excise the cyst, suture and bandage the leg after. The sutures won’t be removed until two weeks after the surgery and it is recommended that the leg is rested. Sometimes people are well enough to go to work the next day depending on how much pain they are in after the surgery. It is the most effective way to get rid of a cyst that reoccurs. With aspiration of a cyst it typically reoccurs. There are home remedies to treat Baker’s Cysts, but whether they work or not is questionable. The surgery may be rare, but it is still the best option especially if the cyst is very large and causing extreme pain. Once the Baker’s Cyst is removed it would probably be a good idea to remove the problem behind the Baker’s cyst which is probably why it reoccurs even after you get it aspirated or if you get it removed surgically. Physical therapy is recommended after your surgery depending on the type of problem the patient has with their

More about A Baker's Cyst: A Case Study

Open Document