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What Causes Pain Behind Knee And Swelling On Calf?
Question: Smoker. 23y/o. Throbbing pain behind left knee. Soft lump. Nonpainful lump behind other knee too. Upper calf feels swollen sitting down. Slight weakness in leg.
visit surgeon as soon as possible. you are having vasculitis.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
How do you know its not a bakers cyst? And how soon should i see one? I dont have health insurance. If i may add more information my legs are also shivering even when its pretty warm and my toes are always colder than the rest of my body. I dont ubderstand how this can be happening to me. Im freaking out right now. How did doctors not carch this after 3 straigh check ups? t
Brief Answer:
Send Photos
Detailed Answer:
Hello, XXXX
Welcome to HCM.
I am DR Rakesh Sharma answering your query.
I need to see photos of back of both knees, to be actually useful to you.
Even if it is a Baker's cyst you need not worry as it is not an emergency.
Please also give any more information you think may be useful for me to advice you about your health and your swelling behind knee.
There is an option of uploading picture in this site itself.
Waiting for your reply.
Good day.
Send Photos
Detailed Answer:
Hello, XXXX
Welcome to HCM.
I am DR Rakesh Sharma answering your query.
I need to see photos of back of both knees, to be actually useful to you.
Even if it is a Baker's cyst you need not worry as it is not an emergency.
Please also give any more information you think may be useful for me to advice you about your health and your swelling behind knee.
There is an option of uploading picture in this site itself.
Waiting for your reply.
Good day.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
The first picture is the back of the left knee in which you can see a lump. This is where the pain radiates from and into my upper calf when sitting down. The next picture is the front of my legs but dont know if its usual. The last is the back of my right knee. More information i could give that may be useful is that almost all of my joints crack, edpecially upper back. I have minor widespread backpain in my upper back. Ive had an ekg and blood pressure taken twice both being perfect. I do barely any exercise at all, a very sedentary lifestyle. I judt went on a diet and have been earing 600-700 calories a day, losing 10lbs I spend hours a day on an uncomfortable chair doing homework. My legs constantly shiver even when its 60 degrees out. I also experience occasional sharp pain in the veins or tendons of my forearm and my hands sometimes become mismatched in color( one will be purple all of the sudden, akthough this may be due to movement of one hand compared to the other) i smoke a pack a day of ciggarettes, and i quit on and off. I dont have a cough. I also have very deep bags under my eyes, and my left eye sometimes produces little red, itchy dots. I have to climb a very long hill back and forth 2 times a day. I just recently got off the medication citalopram, and take both lamictal and risperidone at the moment. The pain itself is at the cite of the lump in the first picture, and when i sit it hurts more, almost feels like my lower hamstring is swelling( my right feels less swollen, smaller) i get tingling sensations in my feet sometimes and my toes are very cold, which i think thats the case for most people in cold areas bit i dont know. Hope that helps!
Brief Answer:
Baker's cyst are usually bigger than this.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again,
Thanks for uploading photos and other details, I have gone through those.
In my opinion they may not be Baker's cyst as they are comparatively smaller and a little higher on legs, than a Baker's cyst should be.
They even do not look cystic but look hypertrophy of muscle and\or ligaments on photos, considering your daily climbing of hill it seems a possible explanation.
Pain on legs may be because of,
1. You are eating too little for your age and activity.
2. Smoking.
3. Uncomfortable posture.
4. Vitamin deficiency like B complex, this also explains tingling sensation in feet.
5. As for joint pain, you can also get yourself tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis.
My advice to you is,
1. Eat proper diet, full of protein, vegetable and fruits.
2. Avoid smoking.
3. Make yourself comfortable while working for long hours.
4. You can also take health supplements.
Hope you have answer to all your questions, if anything else you are welcome to ask or you can close the question by rating the answer.
Baker's cyst are usually bigger than this.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again,
Thanks for uploading photos and other details, I have gone through those.
In my opinion they may not be Baker's cyst as they are comparatively smaller and a little higher on legs, than a Baker's cyst should be.
They even do not look cystic but look hypertrophy of muscle and\or ligaments on photos, considering your daily climbing of hill it seems a possible explanation.
Pain on legs may be because of,
1. You are eating too little for your age and activity.
2. Smoking.
3. Uncomfortable posture.
4. Vitamin deficiency like B complex, this also explains tingling sensation in feet.
5. As for joint pain, you can also get yourself tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis.
My advice to you is,
1. Eat proper diet, full of protein, vegetable and fruits.
2. Avoid smoking.
3. Make yourself comfortable while working for long hours.
4. You can also take health supplements.
Hope you have answer to all your questions, if anything else you are welcome to ask or you can close the question by rating the answer.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
Thank you for your thorough response. I think its a combination of all of those things now that you mentioned them. My final question is do you think, from your examination of the photos, that i may be experiencing vasculitis? Or is that a very unlikely cause?
Brief Answer:
Chances of vasculitis is low.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again,
Welcome back
Though it is very difficult to say by looking at the photos, that it is not vasculitis.
But all the reasons I have mentioned for it being hypertrophy are very strong.
So on photos and from your other inputs it should be hypertrophy.
Please follow a healthy routine and you will see, you have improved a lot in few weeks.
Hope this answers your query, if any thing else, you are most welcome or you can close it by rating the answer.
Good Luck.
Chances of vasculitis is low.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again,
Welcome back
Though it is very difficult to say by looking at the photos, that it is not vasculitis.
But all the reasons I have mentioned for it being hypertrophy are very strong.
So on photos and from your other inputs it should be hypertrophy.
Please follow a healthy routine and you will see, you have improved a lot in few weeks.
Hope this answers your query, if any thing else, you are most welcome or you can close it by rating the answer.
Good Luck.
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
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