Baker’s cyst is a type of popliteal cyst, which indicates its location behind the knee in the popliteal fossa. These cysts are largely benign and typical of most cysts; go away with time and rest of the surrounding tissue. Very rarely, these cysts can cause pain when they are extremely large, hamper movement, and could also turn malignant if not cared for properly. A painful cyst in your case would indicate that the cyst is quite large and you might want to reconsider surgery to aspirate the cyst. A Baker’s cysts diagnosis occurs when the patient comes in complaining of a swelling in the back of the knee. When this is visually confirmed, then a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan or MRI would be required to ensure that the condition is not related to a tumor or deep vein thrombosis.
Bakers Cysts are benign formations of membrane that cover an air filled sac or a fluid. In the case of Baker’s cyst, the cyst is filled with fluid. The cyst itself is created when there is a tear in the muscles or tendons of the knee joint. The healing of the tear sometimes causes the creation of a cyst. A Baker’s cyst can also be caused by arthritis, which causes an accumulation of synovial fluid in a cyst. The biggest dangers that most doctors look out for in a Baker’s cyst is the burst of the cyst. This can cause pain and inflammation in the leg as the fluid from the cyst goes down the calf muscle causing a bruise-like effect. When you do experience any kind of pain related to a cyst, you must consult your doctor immediately to get the problem solved.
Treating the condition using modern medicine is through the use of corticosteroids and pain relievers. Interestingly, there is another experimental therapy that is advocated by some doctors and institutions. This treatment is called prolotherapy and is quite similar in concept to sclerotherapy, which is used to destroy errant blood vessels or to cut of the blood supply to a certain part of the body. Prolotherapy however targets a different part of the body. The way that prolotherapy works is by the injection of a toxic substance like phenol that can destroy tissue. Once the toxin is in the required area, it destroys the tissue and then the body naturally heals the wound and tissue without aberrations. This is probably a technique you can explore. At home, all you should do is employ the use of a cold compress whenever you experience pain and a warm compress at other times to stimulate circulation and natural drainage of the cyst.