GANGLION CYST

A ganglion cyst is a round, fluid-filled lump of tissue that usually appears along tendons or joints.
It typically occurs on the wrist or hand, but it can also appear on the ankle or foot.
Ganglion cysts can be as large as an inch across.
Ganglion cysts can be painful if they press on a nearby nerve.
Their location can sometimes interfere with joint movement.
Some cysts are visible underneath the skin, but others are so small that you can’t see them.
They’re common and usually harmless.
They aren’t cancerous.
Most go away without treatment.
They can also show up in other areas, but these are less common:
The base of the fingers on the palm, where they appear as small pea-sized bumps
The fingertip, just below the cuticle, where they are called mucous cysts
The outside of the knee and ankle
The top of the foot

Symptoms of a ganglion cyst can include:
A soft bump or mass that changes size but doesn’t move.
Swelling that may appear over time or suddenly.
It may get smaller in size or even go away and come back.
One large cyst or many smaller ones may develop, but they are usually connected by deeper tissue.
Some degree of pain is possible, especially after acute or repetitive trauma, but many aren’t painful.
Pain may be chronic and get worse with joint movement.
When the cyst is connected to a tendon, you may feel a sense of weakness in the affected finger.

Ganglion cysts occur when fluid accumulates in a joint or around the tendons in your:
hand
wrist
ankle
foot
This accumulation can occur due to injury, trauma, or overuse, but often the cause is unknown.
Ganglion cysts are more likely to develop in women and people who repeatedly stress their wrists, such as gymnasts.

If you have a bump, you should see your doctor, even if you don’t have symptoms that bother you.
A physical exam is often all that is needed to diagnose a ganglion cyst.
Your doctor may get further confirmation by using a syringe to draw out some of the fluid in the cyst (needle aspiration) or by using ultrasound.
An ultrasound picture is made as sound waves bounce off different tissues.
It can determine whether the bump is fluid-filled (cystic) or if it is solid.
Ultrasound can also detect whether there is an artery or blood vessel causing the lump.
Your doctor may send you to a hand surgeon if the bump is large or solid or involves a blood vessel (artery).
MRI is used to see the wrist and is very useful for ganglions. One drawback to this diagnostic method is the cost of the procedure.
If your cyst is bothering you, your doctor may recommend one of these treatments:

With this procedure, a needle is placed into the cyst to draw the liquid material out.
Then a steroid compound (anti-inflammatory) is injected into the area and the area is put in a splint to keep it from moving.
Aspiration doesn’t remove the area that attaches the cyst to the joint, so they often return.

With this procedure, the doctor removes the cyst and the area around it that attaches it to the joint.
Your doctor may recommend surgery if aspiration hasn’t helped and the mass is painful, it interferes with function (especially when your dominant hand is involved), or it causes numbness or tingling of the hand or fingers.

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