Description

Ganglion cysts are lumps that occur most often along the tendons or joints of your wrists or hands. They also can occur in the ankles and feet. Ganglion cysts are typically round or oval and are filled with a jellylike fluid. They are not cancer.

Small ganglion cysts can be pea-sized. You can change the size. Ganglion cysts can be painful if they press on a nearby nerve. At times, affect the movement of the joint.

For a synovial cyst that causes problems, having a health care provider to drain the cyst with a needle could be an option. Therefore, you can remove the cyst surgically. But if there are no symptoms, treatment is not necessary. Often, the cysts grow and shrink. Some go away on its own.

Symptoms

These are the common characteristics of the cysts ganglion:

  • Location. Ganglion cysts most often develop along the tendons or joints of your wrists or hands. The next most common locations are the ankles and feet. These cysts grow near other joints also.
  • Shape and size. Ganglion cysts are round or oval. Some are too small to feel. The size of a cyst can change, often becoming bigger over time with the movement of the joint.
  • Pain. Ganglion cysts are usually painless. But if a cyst presses on a nerve or other structures, it can cause pain, numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness.

When to see a doctor

See a health care provider if you notice a lump or pain in your wrist, hand, ankle or foot. You can get a diagnosis and to determine if treatment is needed.

Causes

No one knows what causes a ganglion cyst. It grows out of a joint or the lining of a tendon and looks like a small water balloon into the stem. Inside the cyst is a thick fluid as the fluid found in the joints or around the tendon.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase the risk of cysts ganglion include:

  • The sex and the age. Ganglion cysts can develop in any person, but that they occur most often in women between the ages of 20 and 40.
  • Osteoarthritis. The people who have the wear and tear of arthritis in the finger joints closest to the fingernails of the hands, are at greater risk of developing cysts ganglion near the joints.
  • Joint or tendon injury. Joints or tendons that have been injured and are more likely to develop cysts ganglion.

Diagnosis

During the physical exam, a health care provider, you can click on the cyst to see if it hurts. Shining a light through the cyst may show if it is solid or filled with fluid.

Imaging tests — such as X-rays, ultrasound or mri can help confirm the diagnosis and rule out other diseases, such as arthritis or a tumor.

The liquid extracted from the cyst with a needle could confirm the diagnosis. The fluid from a ganglion cyst is thick and clear.

Treatment

Ganglion cysts are often painless and do not need treatment. Your health care provider may recommend to see the cyst for any changes. If the cyst causes pain or gets in the way of movement of the joint, you may need to:

  • Keep the joint to move on. The activity can cause a synovial cyst to grow. So the use of a brace or a splint to keep the joint immobile for a period of time could help. As the cyst shrinks, it may relieve the pressure on the nerves, relieving pain. But long-term use of a brace or splint can weaken the muscles nearby.
  • Drain the cyst. Draining the fluid from the cyst with a needle could help. But the cyst can come back.
  • Surgery. This may be an option if other methods do not work. The surgery involves removing the cyst and the stem that attaches to the joint or tendon. Rarely, surgery may damage the nearby nerves, blood vessels or tendons. And the cyst can come back, even after surgery.

Lifestyle and home remedies

What not to do

A former house of correction for a synovial cyst is to hit the cyst with a heavy object. This is not a good thing to do. The force of the blow can damage the hands or feet. Also, sticking a needle into the cyst to try to "pop" may lead to the infection.

Preparing for your appointment

You could start by seeing your primary care provider. You could get a reference to a hand or foot surgeon.

What you can do

Before your appointment, you might want to write down the answers to the following questions:

  • How long have you had the lump? Appears and disappears?
  • Have you ever injured the joint closest to the bulge?
  • Do you have arthritis?
  • What medications and supplements that you take regularly?

What to expect from your doctor

Your health care provider is likely to ask you questions, such as:

  • Do you have pain or tenderness?
  • Does the blow of the use of the joint?
  • What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
  • What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
Symptoms and treatment of synovial cyst