Knee pit tapen
For some years now, you can see more and more athletes running around with adhesive tapes in the most colorful colors. But what is a tape good for, and can it help with pain in the knee and the hollow of the knee?First of all, one has to distinguish between “kinesio-tapes” and “normal” tape, which is also used in hospitals. The latter is often used in martial arts to stabilize joints.
In boxing fights, the wrists are wrapped around the tape so that they do not bend and break when punched. In sports such as judo or karate, taped ankle joints are often seen, since in these sports the ankle is bent over very often. Taping can therefore be a stabilizing and preventive measure.
A distinction must be made between this and “kinesio-tape”, which is not wrapped around joints in many layers, but is usually stretched over large areas of muscle in one or two layers and is available in various colors. According to the manufacturer, the colors should have a psychological effect, for example, a blue tape should cool, whereas a red tape should create a feeling of warmth. Tapes can stabilize the knee joint, but can also significantly shorten the healing time in cases of muscle tension or strains.
They adhere very firmly to the skin and massage the muscle with every movement. This stimulates the blood and lymph drainage, relieves the muscle, and relieves pain. The hollow of the knee itself is not easily accessible for a tape bandage, but the surrounding muscles that form the hollow of the knee can be taped. The knee is not restricted in its mobility, the muscles are even relieved, which can lead to a decrease in muscle mass. However, this is beneficial at this point, and the muscle can be rebuilt after healing.
Popliteal cyst
If the hollow of the knee is swollen, it may also be a Baker cyst. This cyst was originally called Poplitea cyst – according to its anatomical location – but today it is named in honor of its discoverer William Baker, an English surgeon in the 19th century. It is a protrusion of the posterior wall of the knee joint capsule between the two muscles M. semimembranosus, and M. semitendinosus.
An inflammatory reaction in the knee leads to excessive production of synovial fluid, which causes the joint capsule to expand. It moves to the point of least resistance, in this case the hollow of the knee. This is then swollen, hurts, and can be pressed in softly.
The Baker cyst can also press on the vessels and nerves in the popliteal fossa and impair their function. In extreme cases, the surrounding structures are less perfused, or the lower extremity is paralyzed, accompanied by severe pain. If a Baker’s cyst is not treated, it can rupture, with the result that the synovial fluid spreads freely in the lower leg.
This results in a greatly increased pressure on muscles and vessels, a compression, up to and including the death of the leg. This is called compartment syndrome, an absolute emergency indication that must be treated surgically within hours. Of course, not every Baker cyst has to end in compartment syndrome, but it definitely requires medical clarification, since it is usually caused by joint damage with inflammation, which should be treated.
