We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Health

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Baker's Cyst?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 18,346
Share

A baker’s cyst, is not named after people who bake, but instead derives its name from Dr. William Baker, a 19th century British physician who described the condition. You may also hear the alternate name popliteal cyst as opposed to baker’s cyst. The condition may be caused by damage to the knee joint, extensive arthritis, or in some cases has no apparent cause. In most cases, the cyst itself is expressed as a protrusion on the back of the knee that is often painful and makes bending or straightening the knee joint difficult.

People with a baker’s cyst may note swelling at the back of the knee, which is usually most noticeable when the person is standing up. The back of the knee can also feel tight, and in some cases very painful. Some people get this condition in a milder form, with little to no pain, and with few identifying causes.

The baker’s cyst forms when the fluid used to lubricate the joints, called synovial fluid is produced in excess. This can cause tissue pockets called bursa, through which the fluid passes, to become overloaded with fluid. In particular the popliteal bursa located in the back of the knee may become significantly overloaded and expand, which creates the cyst.

If you have swelling and pain in the popliteal bursa, you should see a physician. There are some complications that can occur without medical treatment, and other conditions exist which may resemble a baker’s cyst. For example, the condition could really be a blocked artery or a tumor. General tests to identify popliteal cysts include using either ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate and correctly diagnose the condition. These can help rule out other potential causes for the bulge behind a knee.

Certain circumstances require immediate treatment. If the swelling is very pronounced, the affected leg is red, and sharp pain is present, this may suggest the cyst has burst and fluid is leaking into the calf. Doctors may need to evaluate and treat this through a variety of methods, often those similar to treating a blood clot.

In other cases, the baker’s cyst recedes on its own, and people may undergo some physical therapy with range of motion exercises to help reduce pain. Icing the cyst or creating a compression wrap around the cyst is common, and patients with mild to moderate pain may take medication like ibuprofen. Using crutches and keeping weight off the knee is often recommended and limiting physical activity when the cyst is very painful makes good sense.

Sometimes the most important thing to treat is not the cyst, but the underlying cause. If the cyst results from cartilage tears that leaked extra synovial fluid into the bursa, the tear may require surgery. If arthritis is the problem, doctors work to address the arthritic condition, though this doesn’t always improve the cyst. Sometimes the baker’s cyst enlarges and requires more aggressive treatment, such as needle aspiration (where fluid is drained from the cyst) or surgical removal of the cyst.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By julies — On Jul 06, 2011

I developed a Baker's Cyst at the back of my knee and lived with some moderate pain and stiffness for about a year. Since the cyst didn't go away on its own, I decided to have surgery to remove it.

The surgery itself took about an hour and was removed by a small incision where the cyst was. It took 3-4 weeks before I felt 100% back to normal, but I am glad I went ahead and had it removed instead of fighting the pain all the time.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia...
Learn more
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-a-bakers-cyst.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.