Pulling in the hollow of the knee up to the calf – Is this a thrombosis?
A pulling in the hollow of the knee, which reaches into the calf, indicates a muscular cause. The calf musculature – more precisely the trcieps surae muscle – consists of two large muscles: On the one hand, the gastrocnemius muscle, which with its thick muscle belly forms the outer part of the calf musculature visible from the outside. Its two muscle heads originate from the thigh bone and thus run from the hollow of the knee to the Achilles heel.
The soleus muscle lies under the gastrocnemius muscle. It also has its origin in the area of the hollow of the knee, more precisely at the back of the shin and calf bone. Together both muscles form the muscle triceps surae.
Pulling in the hollow of the knee when stretching or bending
A pulling in the hollow of the knee occurs especially during movements that strain the knee to its full extent. This includes complete stretching and complete angling of the knee joint. When stretching the knee, the two muscle heads of the calf muscle “Musculus gastrocnemius” are extended to their full length, since the muscle is attached to the thigh on one side and to the heel on the other.
If the muscles or the tendon attachments on the heel and thigh are already irritated, this can cause additional pain. An unpleasant pulling sensation then occurs in the hollow of the knee and the Achilles tendon. When stretching during warming up, this is completely normal and up to a certain point also wanted.
After all, the muscles should be stretched. However, the stretching should not take place for more than seven seconds at a time and only up to a tolerable level of pain. If the pulling is already at rest, the leg should not be stretched under any circumstances and should be allowed to rest.
Sport should then generally be avoided until the pulling no longer occurs. When the leg is bent, however, the structures in the hollow of the knee are compressed and put under pressure. If the space in the hollow of the knee is already constricted anyway, this can cause pain.
A prominent representative of space demands in the popliteal fossa is the so-called Baker’s cyst. It is a protrusion of the joint capsule of the knee joint dorsally (i.e. “behind”), into the hollow of the knee. As a result, the muscles located there become constricted and the nerves and vessels of the popliteal fossa are compressed, which in turn causes pain.
Especially when the leg is bent, the already cramped conditions in the hollow of the knee are further worsened, as the relaxed calf muscles move upwards, pushing skin and fat tissue into the hollow of the knee. A Baker’s cyst can be palpated quite easily from the outside as a small bulge in the hollow of the knee. However, the diagnosis is made by MRI of the knee joint or ultrasound. The Baker’s cyst is only one reason why pain and traction can occur when the knee is bent in the hollow of the knee. Malformations of the blood vessels, swelling due to bruising and excessive fatty tissue can also compress nerves in the hollow of the knee and thus cause pain.
