Ganglion Cyst on Wrist from Repetitive motion...HELP!

Hello J.,

Sorry I'm just now responding, with two little ones at home and full-time job it's hard for me to go through my e-mails. Anyway, I had one and went to see my doctor who refered me to a specialist in podiatry and they were able to stick a thin needle in and drain the fluid out. They said there'd be a chance it comes back, well it did but it also slowly went away on its own. Unlike the first time where it was there for a while & painful. Good Luck.

I used a wrist brace and my doctor gave me a steroid type pill it was very tiny and it went away. I also took Motrin for the pain. Good Luck.

Hi J.~

I majored in sports medicine, and the book thing was what we always did to get rid of them. It seems to work. :)

I had one for several years and eventually had it surgically removed. Before reaching that stage I tried herbs which helped drain the cyst. Eventually it came back and became quite hard which increased the pain in my wrist. I underwent outpatient surgery to have the cyst removed at the stalk to prevent it from returning. Historically they would just cut out cyst leaving the stalk which is why they return. To immobilize the wrist they inject something into the nerve so you lose motion in your entire arm...it's very bizarre and lasts about 12 hours. I had a soft cast to keep my wrist still for a couple of weeks. The cyst is gone and hasn't come back - it's been about a year. I still have pain in my wrist from over use - my mouse hand - but it's great to have the cyst gone. You'll need good insurance...it was amazingly expensive but fortunately our insurance covered all but $700.

I have one as well (just recently) and was told by my doctor to just watch it & make sure it's not too painful. They no longer recommend trying to pop it. It should go away on it's own.

I had one at the base of my middle finger and used to push on it all the time. One day I pushed on it and it went away but came back again. I don't have it anymore but I have heard that they can come back even with surgery.

I had one a few yrs ago & just kept pressing on it alot. Finally it went away & it's never come back (been over 7 yrs now as I had it before I had my kids). Never heard about aspiration & surgery! Glad I didn't go thru that!

many years ago i had one on my wrist. i had it asperated. this was very painful (the stick a big needle in and suck out the fluid) but the alternatives were painful, more risky, and had low success rates. after 2 asperations and 1 localized steriod injection there is only the smallest reminant of the cyst. i am the only person who can tell it was every there probably. good luck.

It sounds old fashioned but both my uncle and dads best friend ( both doctors) just sprAyed my wrist with freezing solution then rubber hammered it and taped a penny there for a few days to keep it flat. It came back a couple time not too big and hasn't been back since the last flattening of it for over 8 years. It's tiny in there now and I don't notice it much but it was a much but it was all a much better solution than surgery which was presented. Good luck

J.,
I had one when I was a teenager. I had it drained by a doctor. It game back a few times, but after the 3rd time (I think) it was gone for good. I remember being told to hit it with a Bible, that didn't sounds so good to me either. Talk to your doctor about draining it.

S.

I had one on my wrist when I was 13 (now 44) and I was told there are two types of ganglions, gel filled and liquid. The liquid ones can be drained or popped, the gel cysts need to be removed (remember, this info is 30 years old). I had the surgery when I was 13 and there has been no trace of it coming back. I remember being in a cast for a couple of weeks, but that was much better than the constant pain I was in from the ganglion itself. Good luck and sometimes surgery really is a good option and nothing to be afraid of.

I had one on my hand and it just went away on its own. If it's not painful, you might see if it just goes away.

Hi J.,
I have had these....didn't remember what they were called. Is it located between the wrist & hand? My doctor did just that once. Put your hand on a flat suface,slam(hard & fast) it only hurt for a split second. I have had them more than once but not in a long time. I was told it was a calcium buildup from repeatative movement??? It just needs to be broken up???
Now, I am not in the medical profession in any way so by all means ASK A DOCTOR first before hurting yourself with well meaning advice.......
Good Luck

Dear J.,
My brother-in-law developed one of these on his wrist and I couldn't even bear to look at it. My sister and I begged him to go to the doctor because it looked serious. The doc said it was a ganglion cyst, it's harmless and.....to smash it really hard with a book. I guess if it breaks under the skin, it will just dissolve on it's own. It doesn't bother him so he's just left it alone. He's finishing building the inside of their new house so he figures he'll smash it on something one of these days soon enough.
I thought his doctor was crazy, but it does seem to be a non-surgical way of getting rid of them.

Best of luck!

Hello J.,
Yes, I've had those little suckers myself on my left wrist. It was ugly and annoying, the fact that it was big and stubby hard. A doctor I saw told me to smash it with a book, It sounds awful so I didn't budge. So, I had it drained same day clinic appointment. The area surrounding it was numbed and then the doctor took a syringe and sucked out all the fluids,(thick honey consistency.) However, that wasn't the end of it because in a month it grew back and that's when I decided the surgery. I only requested to numb my left arm the side where my cyst was because I didn't think I needed to be put to sleep for it. That was in 1998 and to this day it hasn't come back. Well, good luck.

Funny, I had one too, they told me the same thing. I hit my hand up on the table, and low and behold, it's gone...hasn't been back since....so yes, it's true...didn't hurt either. Good luck!

I did have one before, but it wasn't too big (still had me scared initially). The doctor told me about the surgery and draining the fluid methods, but said that it could always come back. I decided not to do anything about it and it did go away on its own. I don't remember if he had told me to massage it and press it down and that was what I did. Since it wasn't bothering me, I didn't want to go thru the surgery and the drainage if it was just going to reoccur. So far I haven't had a recurrence and it's been a few years already. Hope you are able to find the right treatment!

My aunt is going through the same thing. She just told me last weekend that she has been putting sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) on it and it has really helped to shrink it. Good luck!

I tried the shots and book thing (both painful)and neither worked long term. Kept coming back. Finally I mentoined it to a friend that happened to be a chiropracter. He not only got it to go away but it has not been back. (7 years ago) He said the bones in my wrist were pushing on the nerve causing the irritation and cyst to form.

Worth a try.

I had a ganglion cyst on my wrist and was already thinking about surgery, and one night I was doing dishes and hit the cyst with a pan (unintentionally!). It hurt really bad, but after that the pain has been gone. It has been a few months already.
So if you decide to hit it with a book or something heavy I can tell you that it works!! I don't have any other sugestions other than surgery. Good luck!!

My daughter had one in her wrist. She had it drained 2-3 times, but it was so big that it kept coming back. After it gets drained you are supposed to keep massaging it to keep the fluid from building back up, she did not do this enough.
Even after removal(surgically) she still has pain and it has been over a year since she had it done. She also has a low pain threshold.
W. M

Hi J.-
I have heard of that, too, and that it is painful. I read up on Wikipedia that your doctor can stick a fine needle into it and drain it (aspiration). It is filled with a clear fluid. It also said that excision or surgery can be VERY quick to remove it. I would ask your doctor. The book thumping method produces about 50% return- meaning at least 50% of patients saw that it came back verses those who got it drained or had minor surgery.
I hope this helps!
-E. M

please dont try to pop it yourself. this can damage the surrounding structures in the wrist. have you tried immobilizing it by wearing a wrist brace or splint? sometimes this will help the cyst to shrink on its own. your doctor can also aspirate it, then inject the empty cyst with a steroid. unfortunately, reoccurance is around 80%. most people end up having surgery. the surgery is outpatient and the discomfort is moderate. you will have to keep it elevated for 48 hrs, take anti-inflam's and a mild pain killer (tylenol), change your dressings and apply anti-bacterial ointment. my bff had this done and she said the pain from the surgery was nothing compared to how bad it hurt to move her wrist prior. her cyst has not returned although her doctor warned her it might. good luck!!

My brother and cousins have had this...you simply make an appt. with your doctor to have it drained. They sometimes come back as with my brother however after the 2nd time it has not returned!

mine just went away on it's own - heard that from lots other ppl too.