Has Anyone Ever Had a Child with a Ganglion Cysts?

Hi C.,
I am 33 and get ganglion cysts on my wrist a few times a year. In fact, I had one last week. They can be a bit painful but not too bad and they will go away on their own. I swear I am not a crazy person but I too had heard about hitting them with a bible (or other big book) and decided to try it. Believe it or not, it went away almost immediately. I would certainly NOT recommend this for a child but this old remedy does work. Just last week my husband had the pleasure of hitting my wrist with a big cookbook and it was gone in a few hours. AGain, please don't do this to your daughter but perhaps if it continues to bother her as an adult she can make that choice herself. Otherwise, I say just let them go on their own.

Hi C.,

My son has had two of them. They usually appear on or near bone joint areas. Back in the olden days they called them Bible Cyst because when they first appeared they would take the Bible and hit the cyst with it and broke the bag. They are a sac of fluid that can turn to matter. My son had his first one removed at the age of 5 on his right wrist. At first it was very flexible you could wiggle it around then it materialized. Once they do that they need to be surgerically removed. THe second one was on his left wrist and the orthopedic specialist said it had materialized and needed removed but the night before his surgery it broke. When they break the fluid just disappears and the lump goes away. The fluid did not cause any issues. If they don't remove them they can get big and affect their movement. I would suggest that you take her to the orthopedic specialist. My son's cysts did not seem to hurt but did get in the way of movement. His surgery went fine and just like any other cyst removal you need to keep it clean and dry for a while. It will leave a scar depending on how big it is. Hope this helps.

where is the cyst? Has it come back?

I too have had a cyst on my wrist. I have read the other responses about the hitting with a bible or other heavy book, which I also did and the darn thing kept on coming back. I saw an orthopedic surgeon and had it removed, only because it was interferring with my job functions. I would not recommend your child having surgery to remove the cyst unless it is debilitating in some way. You could have them do an x-ray to see if how big it is on the inside and if it is wrapping around or interferring with her nerves, which was the case with myself. Other wise they do go away on there own, but they may always come back.

C.,
When I was your daughter's age, I had the same thing on my knee and wrist. Basically, they've got no idea what causes it, but it's a sac filled with fluid that's on a joint. You can choose to aspire the cyst - which is where they insert a needle and draw out the fluid - or really, unless it is interfering with her everyday function, do nothing at all. Back in the 70s, the doctor even suggested taking an old heavy family bible and smashing it. Thankfully, my mom had more sense than my doctor and didn't follow that particular remedy. It went away on its own. It's now nearly thirty years and it didn't cause any problem. Good luck.