Baker’s cyst

Baker’s cyst

A Baker cyst is a fluid-filled sac that forms behind the knee. It is also known as a popliteal cyst or popliteal synovial cyst. A Baker cyst forms when an injury or disease causes extra synovial fluid to leak into the extra space behind the knee. Baker cysts are common in both adults and children. But they’re more common in older adults.

Characteristics/ Clinical presentations

• Pain in the back of the knee
• swelling and a mass in the back of the knee
• limited range of motion
• stiffness and tightness in the back of the knee sometimes increased by activity

Who is at Risk for Baker Cyst?

• Osteoarthritis of the knee
• Rheumatoid arthritis of the knee
• Tearing of the pads of cartilage (menisci) inside the knee
• Infectious arthritis

Physiotherapy Management:

In the York-med Physiotherapy, our registered physiotherapists and chiropractors provide a manual therapy and comprehensive rehabilitation program that reduces the inflamation and decreases pain and improves the knee joint. Our physiotherapist will prescribe you mobility, a hamstring stretching program and a concurrent quadriceps strengthening program that has to repeat several times a day. This will result in less pain at about 6-8 weeks.