Puncture of a Baker's cyst

Puncture of the Baker's cyst

There are options for conservative or surgical treatment for patients with a Baker's cyst. First of all, depending on the underlying disease and the extent of the symptoms, healing with the help of non-surgical therapy is sought.

In addition to giving anti-inflammatory drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Steroids such as cortisone or other preparations such as hyaluronic acid, it is possible to puncture the Baker's cyst. This procedure is usually performed by either an orthopedic surgeon.
You can find more about this under our topic: Baker's cyst treatment

Read more on this topic at: Knee puncture

When a Baker's cyst is punctured, the fluid that has built up inside the cyst is sucked out using a syringe. As a result, the cyst becomes smaller and the symptoms caused by the pressure in the knee joint usually improve. However, there is one major drawback to this treatment: it is purely symptomatic.

What might also interest you: Knee puncture

When the Baker's cyst is punctured, the contents of the cyst are emptied, but since the cause of the cyst is not eliminated, it can fill up again. The so-called stalk, i.e. the connecting piece between the joint capsule and the cyst, is still there. So, consequently, it happens frequently Relapses, refilling the cyst.
The inflammation is also still there and can cause problems. However, there are a few ways to balance these factors. On the one hand, it can run in parallel with Medication treatments that reduce inflammation.
What is more and more practiced is a procedure in which the remaining cyst after the puncture is performed Cyst sac directly with Cortisone is rinsed out.
While this can be some Side effects result, but in principle shows a right high success rate. In addition, one simply has to be careful not to identify the underlying disease such as rheumatism treated in parallel. If this is under control, the risk of an affected person is directly and massively reduced again Baker's cyst to train.

If puncturing a Baker's cyst does not provide relief from a patient's symptoms, or if it repeatedly reforms, one should surgery contemplate.
Please also read our topic: Baker's cyst surgery

Appointment with a knee specialist?

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Who am I?
My name is dr. Nicolas Gumpert. I am a specialist in orthopedics and the founder of .
Various television programs and print media report regularly about my work. On HR television you can see me every 6 weeks live on "Hallo Hessen".
But now enough is indicated ;-)

The knee joint is one of the joints with the greatest stress.

Therefore, the treatment of the knee joint (e.g. meniscus tear, cartilage damage, cruciate ligament damage, runner's knee, etc.) requires a lot of experience.
I treat a wide variety of knee diseases in a conservative way.
The aim of any treatment is treatment without surgery.

Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

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    Kaiserstrasse 14
    60311 Frankfurt am Main

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Further information about myself can be found at Dr. Nicolas Gumpert

Puncture pain

The pain during the puncture of a Baker's cyst is often compared to the pain during a blood draw - ideally, you only notice the short puncture.
However, it should be noted here that pain is perceived differently from person to person. Since the puncture of a Baker's cyst is usually only carried out if the person concerned has symptoms, the focus is usually on relieving the symptoms.
Nevertheless, pain after the puncture can unfortunately occur.

Recommendation from our editorial team: Pain after a puncture

Risks of puncturing a Baker's cyst

The puncture one Baker's cyst is a symptomatic and no curative therapy, which means that it causes the formation of a Baker's cyst Not is eliminated.

With the help of a Cannula the fluid contained in the Baker's cyst is removed, which However, the cyst itself remains. This means that even after a successful puncture of the Baker's cyst, the cause of the increased formation of fluid, usually a Inflammation in the knee joint area, persists. To prevent the fluid from getting immediately after the puncture Baker's cyst the knee should then continue for a few days bandaged become. Nevertheless, there is a considerable risk that sooner or later there will be an overflow of fluid in the cyst.

Another risk arises from the fact that the syringe opens up an access route into the joint and so on bacteria that are not normally located there. This can lead to a infection (septic arthritis) to lead. By strictly adhering to Hygiene measures however, the risk can be reduced as much as possible.

In addition, surrounding tissue such as Vessels, annoy, Tendons and cartilage get hurt. By using modern Ultrasound equipment however, the cyst can usually be found without any problems, so that damage to other structures has become rare. Even if the Administration of cortisone is controversial as part of a puncture of a Baker's cyst, the remaining cyst sac is increasingly being flushed out with cortisone. Cortisone is an anti-inflammatory drug and also only does one Relief of the discomfort and no cure the cause. Since during a puncture of the Baker's cyst Cortisone is injected directly to the desired site of action, the risk of the usual side effects of cortisone is rather low. This can mainly lead to problems here accidental injection of cortisone into tendon or fat tissue. This allows it to Regression of the tissue come. Frequent use of cortisone injections increases the risk of side effects, so each of these injections should be used wisely and generally a maximum of three times a year be performed.