Popliteal cyst - Treatment

Depending on the kind of popliteal cyst (Baker' cyst) or pain intensity, we can choose one of a few kinds of treatment. It's always good to try with the least burdening non operative treatment, especially if a child is the patient. Conservative treatment can bring about a good therapeutic effect, in the early stages of the disease. This treatment involves exercises and physiotherapy, compression bands and temporary removal of the fluid, combined with an injection of anti inflammatory drug. This treatment should be implemented with careful shopping for shoes and a reasonable activity pattern. Methods found in literature (injecting obliteralting drugs into the cyst) are well-tolerated, but they do not treat the source of fluid or the joint disease which is the primary cause of Baker's cyst.

Invasive therapy should every time be started with the attempt to remove the cause. Arthoscopic treatment, recommended for treatments of joint diseases, as an isolated method, has the recurrency ratio over 60%. Surgical treatment (removal of the cyst and tight suturing of the capsule) also allows the cyst to recurr (recurrence ratio, according to various authors, may reach up to 70%). The effectiveness of the surgical treatment may be greater when the procedure is completed with strengthening of the capsule with the gastrocnemius and semimembranosus muscle or with the so-called "pedicle graft". Yet this strenghening may be torn or damaged due to the change of muscle position when in motion.

Traditional surgical treatment helps to remove the cyst and suture the connection between the cyst and the joint. It does not, however, remove any of the causes plus after the surgery there's always a long lasting post operative wound together with pain ailments and a long period of recuperation.

Endoscopic/Arthroscopic treatment of the cyst invented, presented and used by doctor Malinowski (see doctor Malinowski's cv) combines treating intraarticular diseases, removing the connection between the cyst and the joint and removing the Baker's cyst itself. This method allows to remove all known and described causes of the cyst in the least invasive way, which improves the effects of treatment and reduces the number of recurrences.

Arthroscopic procedures are a complementation of the treatment arthroscopy. There're few post operative ailments, but more advantages: early full range of motion and activity and a short stay in a hospital, as the patient stays at the hospital for 24 hours. According to numerous Artromedical research, this invented surgical method and an individually chosen kind of surgical procedure is a safe, repetative and well-tolerated procedure which gives few post operative pain ailments.

Up to June of 2011, over the last 10 years, doctor Malinowski has performed over 250 procedures of this kind. According to available literature, we probably have the greatest experience in arthroscopic treatment of the Baker's cyst in the world. Due to the fact that our method is little invasive, we've used it repeteadly in treating difficult cases of children's cysts.

Popliteal cyst, Baker's cyst (find out more about the disease)

Written by: Konrad Malinowski