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" Question My mother is 65 and has a history of heart disease. She had a bypass operation and is on warfarin, suffers from polymyalgia rheumatica, and is on steroids and blood pressure medication. She also had a mastectomy 18 years ago &amp;amp;#8211; there has been no recurrence of cancer. She has been going to a physiotherapist in Australia for treatment of her back injury from a fall and polymyalgia rheumatica. The physiotherapist said that mum may have a Baker&amp;#039;s cyst behind her knee.  What is a Baker&amp;#039;s cyst?   Answer It must be a worry to you that your mother is living so far away and suffers from a number of different ailments. A Baker&amp;#039;s cyst is a firm, walnut-sized fluid-filled lump behind the knee. In conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, to which polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is closely related, there is an increased pressure within the fluid inside the knee joint which leads to a ballooning in a backwards direction of the synovial membrane which lines the knee joint. Most of the time, Baker&amp;#039;s cysts are relatively painless and some may even clear up spontaneously within a few months. Usually however, the cyst will persist and may even rupture, causing fluid to leak down between the layers of the muscles in the calf. When a cyst ruptures there will certainly be some pain and swelling. Diagnosis can be confirmed using arthrography where an injection of a radio-opaque substance is given, allowing the joint space to be viewed clearly on X-ray. Treatment generally consists of a supportive bandage, although in some instances surgical removal of the cyst may be required. Yours sincerely The NetDoctor Medical Team   Other Qs &amp;amp; As Ankylosing spondylitis Ankylosing spondylitis Are my symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of Raynaud&amp;#039;s disease Articular sclerosis or ankylosing spondylitis? Athetoid dystonia Bell&amp;#039;s palsy Bell&amp;#039;s palsy and the herpes virus Bone problems Brodie&amp;amp;#8217;s abcess Brodie&amp;amp;#8217;s abscess on the knee Can I pass my scoliosis on to my children? Carpal tunnel syndrome Chondromalacia patella Compartment syndrome Constant pins and needles for nearly two days Do I have sciatica? Do I have tendonitis? Do I have white knuckle syndrome? Do my medical conditions prevent me from using a sun bed? Does &amp;#039;thinning of the bones&amp;#039; always mean osteoporosis? Familial spastic paraplegia: what is it? Forrester&amp;#039;s disease Frieberg-K\u00F6hler syndrome Frieberg&amp;#039;s disease Holt-Oram syndrome: a rare children&amp;#039;s heart condition How do I cure tennis elbow? How should I deal with my father I have a spare rib I have SLE but feel I don&amp;#039;t get enough support from my GP Illiotibial band syndrome Is it osteomyelitis? Is lordosis hereditary? Is psoriatic arthritis a chronic condition? Is sarcoidosis an inherited condition? Is this carpal tunnel syndrome? Kyphosis or scoliosis Mallet finger Meralgia paresthetica My chances of getting osteoporosis My chest bone sticks out My child has an asymetrical rib cage My mom has ME Osgood disease Osgood-Schlatter disease Osteogenesis imperfecta Osteomyelitis Please tell more more about trigeminal neuralgia Polymyalgia rheumatica Prepatellar bursitis PVNS Restless leg syndrome Scheuermann&amp;#039;s disease Small bones growing from the neck Spina bifida occulta Spondylosis Tell me about autonomic dysreflexia Tell me about osteopetrosis Tell me about transverse myelitis Tendonitis for 11 years Tennis elbow Tennis injury Thoracic outlet syndrome What are the symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland? What can be done about Osgood-Shlatter disease? What causes bone calcification? What causes cramp? What causes gout What causes osteitis pubis? What could be causing my numbness? What is a Charcot joint? What is cellulitis? What is cervical root compression? What is costochondritis? What is craniosynostosis What is De Quervain&amp;#039;s syndrome? What is discitis? What is fibromyalgia? What is histiocytosis? What is housemaid&amp;#039;s knee? What is lordosis? What is McArdle&amp;#039;s disease? What is Morton&amp;#039;s neuroma? What is my mother suffering from? What is myopathy? What is Osgood-Schlatter disease? What is osteitis condensans ilii? What is osteochondromatosis? What is osteomyelitis? What is Paget&amp;#039;s disease? What is palindromic arthritis? What is plantar fasciitis? What is pleurisy and how did I get it? What is PMR? What is Reiter&amp;#039;s syndrome? What is Scheuermann&amp;#039;s disease? What is Scheuermann&amp;#039;s disease? What is seronegative polyarthritis and how can it be treated? What is Sherman&amp;#039;s disease? What is Sjogren&amp;#039;s syndrome? What is the prognosis for degenerative scoliosis? What is the Terry-Thomas sign? What is this lump? What is trigger thumb? Whiplash injury Will my unborn child inherit Moebius syndrome from his father?   Last updated 05.11.2014 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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