I have a Baker's cyst. What can be done? Dr. Mallika Marshall answers your questions

BOSTON - Dr. Mallika Marshall is answering your latest health questions. If you have a question, email her or message her on Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter).

Jeanne writes, "I have a Baker's cyst and can hardly walk. The pain is bad and getting worse. How long will this last? What can be done?"

A Baker's cyst is a sac filled with fluid located behind the knee. They're quite common, typically affecting people between the ages of 35 and 70.

Many Baker's cysts don't cause symptoms and some resolve on their own, but if they're causing nagging symptoms, like swelling, pain, and stiffness, they can be injected with a steroid to reduce swelling and inflammation. If that doesn't work, the cyst can simply be drained with a needle. And if that doesn't work, the cyst can be surgically removed. If you're in this much discomfort and your activity is this limited, I think you should have it treated.

Dr. Mallika is offering her best advice, but as always, consult your personal doctor before making any decisions about your personal health.  

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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