ganglion cysts (in wrist)

Gibbee

Gibbee

Cathlete
I did a search on ganglion cysts (particularly in the wrist) and saw several posts in the past two years. I have one and am going to the ortho in 3 weeks to have it looked at. My question is,... have anyone of you with them in the wrist ever been able to return to push ups or, better yet, do ball workouts or yoga or pilates?????
 
Not ganglion cysts, but carpal tunnel. I cannot do push ups or bench press becuase of the stress it puts on my hands. I can do Pilates but not most Yoga. Anything that requires bearing full or almost full body weight on the hands is out for me. Even triceps dips I can't do. I can do the ball ab work in PUB.

But there are MANY things I can still do :) Try to keep that in mind!

Colleen
 
Yes, I have a ganglion cyst in my wrist. I got it from playing tennis. It doesnt bother me so I am leaving it alone. It has shrunk somewhat, but will flare up and get sore sometimes. My husband had one on the top of his wrist and had it drained with a needle.



Madonna
 
I had one. It just appeared on the inside of my right wrist one day...I thought it was a tumor or something! Went to several doctors. One tried draining it with no luck - the liquid in it was too thick. The orthopedic doc I saw advised me to just leave the cyst alone because it was so close to a major vein. He did not recommend surgery to remove it. Said the surgery could affect my use of the right hand, not to mention the surgery scar would be very noticeable.

The cyst was about the size of a marble and would really make my wrist ache when I was on the computer or doing anything repetitive with it. Unfortunately, it was one of those things I just learned to live with. (for about 4 years!) I bought a mousepad with a gel filled wrist rest. Sometimes I would put a heat compress on it. This helped so much!

Then, as mysteriously as that cyst appeared on my wrist, it DISAPPEARED! :) My doctor says it probably just "relocated" deeper into my wrist. I can't see the cyst or lump anymore and my wrist no longer aches where the cyst was. :)

My theory is that the cyst was caused by excessive computer use for work (and pleasure at home!)

I share my story because at one time I thought that ugly, painful cyst was going to be on my wrist forever. For whatever reason, it just went away. Maybe yours will too. Let us know what your doc says. Good luck with it.
 
Is your cyst painful? If there is pain I would be very cautious but I had a huge ganglion on the top of my wrist as a teen. It went away on it's own and while I will get a small one from time to time, it's never been a problem to do push ups and yoga poses. Be patient with it and you will be fine! Good luck!

Below is some information I found on an orthopedic website:

Ganglions (cysts) of the Wrist
Finding a lump on your hand or wrist can be a frightening experience. But most of the time, these are harmless ganglion cysts that will often disappear in time.

Commonly, ganglion cysts grow on the top of the wrist (dorsal ganglions). But they can also be found on the underside of the wrist (between the thumb and your pulse point), at the end joint of a finger or at the base of a finger. A ganglion grows out of a joint, like a balloon on a stalk that rises out of the connective tissues between bones and muscles. Inside the balloon is a thick, slippery fluid similar to the fluid in your joints. Usually, the more active you are, the larger the lump becomes; when you rest, the lump decreases in size.

What causes ganglions

No one knows what triggers the formation of a ganglion. Women are more likely to be affected than men, and ganglions are common among gymnasts, who repeatedly apply stress to the wrist. Because the fluid-filled sac puts pressure on the nerves that pass through the joint, some ganglion cysts may be painful. Large ganglions, even if they are not painful, are unattractive. Smaller ganglions that remain hidden under the skin (occult ganglions) may be quite painful.

Examination and diagnosis

Your doctor may ask you how long you’ve had the ganglion, whether it changes in size and if it is painful. He or she may apply pressure to see if there is any tenderness, or hold a penlight up to the cyst to see if the light shines through. You will probably need to get an X-ray, so that the doctor can rule out conditions such as arthritis or a bone tumor. Sometimes, an MRI or ultrasound is needed to find a ganglion cyst hidden under the skin.

Treatment options

The first course of treatment is nonsurgical and conservative.

* Observation. Because the ganglion is not cancerous and may disappear in time, the physician may recommend just waiting and watching to make sure that no radical changes occur.

* Immobilization. Activity often causes the ganglion to increase in size, thus increasing the pressure on nerves and causing pain. Your physician may recommend that you wear a wrist brace or splint to relieve symptoms and allow the ganglion to decrease in size. As pain decreases, your doctor may prescribe exercises to strengthen the wrist and improve range of motion.

* Aspiration. If the ganglion causes significant pain or severely limits your activities, you may choose to have the doctor drain the fluids with a procedure called "aspiration." The doctor will numb the wrist and puncture the cyst with a needle to remove the fluid.

These treatments leave the outer shell and the stalk of the ganglion intact, so it may reform and reappear. Outpatient surgery can remove the ganglion, but is no guarantee that the cyst will not recur. Part of the involved joint capsule or tendon sheath may also be removed. This is of little concern, but afterwards you may feel some tenderness, discomfort and swelling. You should be able to resume normal activities in two to six weeks.


Chicks's Rule! http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Bobbi
 
I had one on my left hand while we were in Germany. I had it removed because it was so painful and I couldn't do anything that involved weight bearing on/with that hand. The only drawback was that the surgeon made the incision vertical as opposed to horizontal, so for the last five years I've had a horrible red scar on the top of my hand (people ask if it's a burn). However, it's now returning to normal colored skin (didn't know this could happen) so it's much less noticeable these days. I now have one in my right wrist and it does make doing weight bearing work uncomfortable, but not enough yet to warrant making an appt. and getting it checked out.

HTH
Sue<><
 
I have one on the top of my left wrist and it comes and goes. It hasn't flaired up in quite a while (like over a year). I am only prevented from doing pushups when it's flaired.

I had it looked at a few years ago and my doctor said they would remove it if I want, but it has never been the much of a deterrant to me. So yes, when it's behaving (like now) I can do pushups and ball work and anything else I want!
 
Thanks for all the great responses. I've laid off using it for push-ups and the like for several days and it is much less irritated. They are sending me to a ortho dr. the first week of December but I suspect by then it will be (unless I really irritate it) quite a bit smaller. I'd prefer the no surgery option myself... and I hate not doing push-ups and some ball work but if laying off those few things for a couple of days, I'll take that! Thanks again! (And, yes, I've heard of the Bible technique (book slamming) and the dr. mentioned that... but then recommended against it... you get more $ from other forms of treatment, you know!)
 
Gibbee,

I don't know how I missed your post on Friday, but I and AllisonT on the forum here also had ganglion cysts removed from our wrists. Mine was removed in 1992 and has not come back. I think Allison had hers removed in 2001 sometime.

Anyway, I can do some pushups now in the traditional position, but it is less painful on the wrist if I do them on my knuckles so that my wrist remains in a neutral position. I can do some tricep dips, squat thrusts, ball planks (like those nasty inverted pikes), etc. I can do pretty much everything else (except open jars). My scar is only noticeable to those who really look (it's about one-inch long).

If you are having a lot of pain and you are very limited in what you are able to do because of the cyst, please consider getting it removed. I am much happier and able to do so much more now than I was when my cyst was really bad. I think it was in between the size of a large marble and a golf ball.

Also, I used to have my mother whack my cyst with a hardcover book and the cyst would break up for a few days and then come back larger and more painful than ever--I don't recommend that approach!!

I did have a long recovery from my surgery--as I recall, it was at least 6 months before I could do anything that put much pressure on the wrist.

Good luck.
 
I appreciate your reply. I am getting better at bending the wrist backwards a bit but bending it forwards sends either shooting pains or that "funny bone" tingly feeling into the back of my hand and fingers. (doesn't feel very funny). Overall the cyst is fairly small, about the size of a nickel in diameter and a small marble in height... really small for the achiness I think, but it must be wrapped up in some nerves or pressing on some.

I go to the ortho doc next Wednesday afternoon and I suspect he'll just recommend rest and possibly immobilization to see if it will shrink back. I just don't want to be out of push ups or ball work / planks because I love the Intensity Series and the ball has made a big difference in the ol' abs so... I have done fisted push ups before while at taekwondo and thought about doing those again, but the pikes on the ball are what will be my big loss if I can't do them. I thought about trying them in the next few days if the wrist isn't too tingly or achy. If it hurts, I'll (reluctantly) pass on them for a while. :( Thanks again for responding! It's nice to hear from people who have been there and done that and know what it's all about!
 
It's funny I haven't been able to be on the forums for a while. I log back in and see this post..how relavent! I am so sorry that you are having problems with your wrist.

I was the Alison that Cruncholi (Hi Linda btw!)was talking about. I had the surgery on my wrist not too long after she did. My other wrist is very weak too (probably due to overuse). I absolutely needed the surgery. I couldn't even push a grocery cart or put any pressure on my wrist at all. It was a success. However, my wrists are still weak and very prone to injury. I can do some pushups, planks, tricep dips but not too many of those at once. In fact last week I did Bootcamp (which has a lot of those moves) without modifying (stupidly). I reinjured my wrist and am just now trying to start using weights again. It is very frustrating but at least I can do some compared with none before the surgery.

Your ortho may want you to get an MRI to confirm the cyst if you haven't had one. He may try cortizone shots as well. Hopefully, yours will go away like some of the others. If not the surgery is worth it. I wish you the best of luck. Keep us posted.

Alison
 
Did you ever have any kind of 'grinding' feeling? Sometimes it feels like it grinds just past the wrist and other times it feels like it could pop (and then it usually shifts a bit not too long after - like it slides over a tendon (?)).
 
I had mine removed about a year ago. I had had it for almost a year and it would become sore when I'd do pushups, yoga, etc. I went to a hand surgeon and decided to get it removed. They can either drain it with a big needle (it may still come back) or cut it out. It was an outpatient procedure, but I was put under so I took 2 days off from work. It was sore for awhile, but nothing painful. I couldn't work out until I got the cast off a few weeks later. I waited another week to work out because my wrist was tender for awhile without the support of the cast. Now, I'm painfree and glad I got rid of it.
 
I went to the doctor on Wednesday and he looked at my wrist and said that, yes, it is a ganglion cyst and he would have his nurse come in and schedule the surgery. I asked if there were other options and he said not really. If I want it gone he said surgery is best and they only return about 1/10 times after a surgery. I was surprise he suggested surgery so quick. I waited for the nurse and asked about recovery and return to exercise, etc., and then I asked which direction does he cut and she said 'vertical to the wrist' as opposed to horizontal (so it would become simply another wrinkle on the wrist). I thought that was so strange since he is also a plastic surgeon. Why would you do that? I asked my sister in law (who has assisted in these surgeries) and she said there really isn't any reason why he couldn't go in 'horizontally' (across the wrist). So, in order to get out of the doctor's office, I said I'd call them back to schedule. The thing is, it has decreased in size a bit over the past day or two, so I think I'm going to let it go for now (and suck it up that I can't do push-ups or pikes on the ball for now).

My husband bought an Ace wrist brace to put some light pressure on it when it hurts, but beyond that, I think I'll hold off and ask around for other doctors in the area. To rush off into surgery seems a bit hasty and then the nurse saying after 3 weeks I could do whatever I want - yet that seems odd, too. (and the stitches stay in for 3 weeks???). Anyway, I'll keep you posted as to how it goes but for now I'm saying no to surgery. Thanks for your insights! Have a great holiday season!
 
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