Can you drain ganglion cyst

Although you can get them near any joint, 60 to 70 percent of ganglion cysts develop on the front or back of the wrist.

Feet, fingers, and areas where you had a tendon or joint injury are the next most common areas. Is the lump on your wrist a ganglion cyst? Beyond the appearance of a lump , other symptoms to look out for include:.

The good news about treating your ganglion cyst is that 58 percent of them resolve on their own over time. If you see a noticeable lump on your wrist, hand, ankle or foot, see your doctor, especially if the lump is painful. Painless ganglion cysts do not require treatment, so your doctor might take an observational approach, which means leaving it alone to see what happens. If the cyst is hampering the movement your joint or causing you pain, your doctor might recommend:. Noticing a strange bump or lump anywhere on your body can be troubling and a good reason to visit your doctor.

If your doctor identifies your lump as a ganglion cyst, they might recommend home treatment, medical treatment, or no treatment. A ganglion cyst is a noncancerous lump that most commonly develops on the wrist or hand. Forgot password? Enter an Access Code. Subscribe Now. Sign in via Athens. Search 5MinuteConsult. Email Send Email Recipient s will receive an email with a link to 'Wrist Ganglia Aspiration and Injection' and will have access to the topic for 7 days.

Subject: Wrist Ganglia Aspiration and Injection. Optional Message: Optional message may have a maximum of characters. Ganglion cysts are common soft tissue tumors that arise from joint capsules or synovial sheaths of tendons. They can be mobile and vary in size. Women are affected three times as often as men. No predilection exists for the right or left hand, and occupation does not appear to increase the risk of ganglion formation.

The dorsal and volar aspects of the wrist are the most common sites. View Original. Ganglion cysts may be single- or multilobulated. They are smooth walled, translucent, and white. The content within a ganglion is clear and highly viscous mucin that consists of hyaluronic acid, albumin , globulin, and glucosamine.

The cyst wall is made up of collagen fibers, and multilobulated cysts may communicate through a network of ducts. Ganglia may be obvious or occult. Obvious ganglia may slowly enlarge or develop suddenly after trauma.

These ganglia often appear as firm, nontender, pea- to marble-sized lesions beneath the skin. Occult ganglia may compress superficial nerves and cause dull aching. Ganglia may also produce weakness and altered range of motion in the wrist and fingers. Imaging modalities such as ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging may help to identify suspected or occult ganglia.

Striking a dorsal wrist ganglion with a large Bible to rupture the cyst was a treatment used for centuries. Diagnosis During the physical exam, your doctor may apply pressure to the cyst to test for tenderness or discomfort.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references De Keyser F. Ganglion cysts of the wrist and hand.

Accessed Nov. Frontera WR, et al. Hand and wrist ganglia. Philadelphia, Pa. Ferri FF. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor 5 Books in 1. Eventually, the bloodstream absorbs it.

The affected area will likely be red, sore and swollen for a few days. You might also feel a sensation similar to the feeling of water running along the location where the cyst ruptures. Treating a ganglion cyst generally involves managing your pain until the area of the rupture feels better. If a ganglion cyst bursts, you should take these actions:. It is physically possible to pop a ganglion cyst. Some people feel tempted to hit their ganglion cysts with heavy objects to rupture them.

For a variety of reasons, we strongly recommend avoiding this option. Smashing your ganglion cyst with an object like a heavy book can leave you vulnerable to infection if you damage the external layer of your skin. Bacteria can enter through this wound, spread via the cyst cavity to your joint and cause a joint infection that becomes incredibly difficult to treat. Hitting your cyst can also severely damage the delicate tissues and bones of your hand and wrist.

A ganglion cyst can be painful when it ruptures. Apart from potentially being located near a nerve in your body, the cyst also discharges a substantial amount of fluid that can inflame the surrounding tissues, making them sensitive and tender. To relieve the discomfort, you can try taking over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Be sure to follow the label instructions carefully, and consult with your health care provider before taking any of these medications over the long term. Generally, massage will not remove a ganglion cyst.

Massaging a ganglion cyst can have some benefits, though — it may cause some of the fluid to seep out of the sac, making the cyst grow smaller. Ganglion cysts are painful when they sit near the nerves that carry sensory signals to your brain. The bulging cyst puts constant pressure on the nerve, so the nerve constantly sends back pain signals. If your ganglion cyst is incredibly painful, it is likely very close to one of the nerves that run through the affected location.

Ice is unlikely to shrink a ganglion cyst, but it can provide temporary pain relief. Try applying an ice pack — or an improvised pack like a bag of frozen vegetables — to the affected area for 20 minutes or so every few hours. You can also use a warm compress to reduce pain.