Jan 25, 2015

I Finally Have Some Answers!

I finally have some answers as to what is causing the pain in my left knee. I am also relieved that I don't have what I would consider an "injury" that I brought on by running or doing something dumb. I am very grateful that nothing is torn and all ligaments and tendons appear to be intact. I have what is called a Baker's cyst behind my knee. This is basically what it is:


Source

What is a Baker's cyst?

Baker's cyst is a pocket of fluid that forms a lump behind the knee. A Baker's cyst is caused when excess joint fluid is pushed into one of the small sacs of tissue behind the knee. When this sac fills with fluid and bulges out, it is called a cyst. The excess fluid is usually caused by conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis that irritate the knee. It may also be caused by an injury. Sometimes the pocket of fluid behind the knee can tear open and drain into the tissues of the lower leg. This can cause swelling and redness in that part of the leg. A Baker's cyst may go away on its own. If a cyst does not go away, or if it is causing a lot of pain, your doctor may drain the fluid with a needle. (source)

I have been in physical therapy for two months now and it seems to be helping. My doctor is hoping that the cyst will shrink on it's own or else he will have to drain it. I am trying to avoid that because I hate needles. I am thinking that I will have another MRI to confirm that the cyst is shrinking or if the pain goes away then I will know that it has and it will not be necessary.
I have been able to run while in physical therapy because I have not had pain while running. There are times that I still have the knee pain but it is always the day after. I also noticed that running hills also irritates my knee so I am trying to avoid hills as much as possible. I am going to continue to run but I have to take it easy for a while since anything over a 9:00 pace seems to trigger the pain the next day.

Running has been different lately. It hasn't been about pace at all but simply being grateful to run and accepting it for what it is. Having said that, I have decided that I am going to run the Surf City Half Marathon on Superbowl Sunday. I am thinking about completing the Beach Cities Challenge again because the medal is super nice.
I am not sure what to expect and I am going into this without a time goal. I know it will not be a PR but I will set a goal to finish the race. I know that I will get back to running the paces that I was before this knee problem so I have accepted that and I am looking forward to getting back into it when my time is right.

Who else is running Surf City next Sunday?

Half or Full Marathon?

7 comments:

  1. Great update! I hope that the cyst goes away without the draining needed. Have fun in the race!

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    1. Thank You Nicole. It looks like races might have to just be for fun for a while :)

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  2. Oh wow, well I guess that's good news! Much better than the unknown which is nearly impossible to treat. I hope you have a speedy recovery!

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    1. Thank You Christy. I am glad it is not something much worse. I am feeling a lot better this week so I hope my race goes well this weekend.

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  3. At least you know!!!! I had a Baker's Cyst and didn't know it and then it burst...... immediate swelling/awful pain. I couldn't move. I had to have an MRI and they seriously thought it was a torn meniscus until the results finally came back!

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    1. That is what they thought was wrong with me too. I actually have a second cyst that is ganglion cyst. I am feeling better so I am hopeful. Thank you for sharing your story with me. I am hoping my shrinks because I am super afraid to get it drained.

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  4. I have the same injury and have been dealing with it for over a year now. I have found it very frustrating. I'm a triathlete not just a runner so cycling also tends to irritate the thing. I've had multiple MRI's which show no damage to the joint just minor knee effusion which has built up in the bakers cyst. I've done a lot of strength work in hopes of managing this thing but it still tends to flare up randomly. I would love to hear if you have any tips or tricks to manage this injury?

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