Anyone had a ganglion cyst in the wrist?

[nextjoe]

I've developed a ganglion cyst in my right wrist, possibly caused by recoil from handgun shooting. It's basically a small fluid-filled sack that grows from a joint or tendon sheath. Mine is large enough that I can't shoot a handgun with any real level of recoil without experiencing a sharp jolt of pain in that wrist.

I'm seeing my doctor ASAP to get his opinion on treatment (either aspiration or surgical excision), but in the meantime, I wonder if any THR members have had one of these little nasties, and if so, how it was treated and what the end result was. At any rate, it's been a good reason to do more weak-handed practice!

 

[mbs357]

Ouch.
Only problem I have with my wrists is what I think is carpal tunnel.
Not entirely sure I have it.
But keyboardists (I type a LOT), guitarists (got me there too) and other activities that involve repetative hand movements get it...
So I'd be suprised if I didn't have it.
Mostly in my right hand/arm is where I feel the pains.

 

[Moparmike]

I am not sure if I have it or not, but if I shoot my 10mm more than 30 rds my wrist starts hurting. If I shoot it more than 50 rds, it becomes painful. If its more than 70, I feel as though someone drove an ice pick through my wrist, and it hurts for at least 2 days with lots of stiffness.

Let us know what happens and what the doc says. I may get this checked out too...

 

[Sir Aardvark]

You could always revert to the old-fashioned non-surgical technique..... the Family Bible!.

Just lay your wrist on the kitchen table, cyst side up, and have someone smack it really hard with the bible; cyst goes "Pop!", and if you're lucky, it will completely resolve.

Of course, most times they just come back bigger, but you won't know 'til you try it.


Aspiration may work well at first, but don't be surprised if the cyst reappears.

Surgery is usually 100% effective, but......it's surgery; most often going under the knife, even for minor procedures, is the last option.

 

[mbs357]

O_O;


I usually revert to battery when something I own doesn't work...but I never thought of doing that when my body didn't work right...


Sounds good to me!

 

[UberPhLuBB]

I've got one in my left wrist, but thankfully it's not prominent enough to cause pain when shooting (usually). Occationally if I put alot of weight on that wrist it does hurt though. It also seems to fluctuate in size. When it's in a large phase it's more sensetive, and I have felt pain when shooting rifles prone, or in other situations where my left wrist is bent at a severe angle and pressure is applied.

Moparmike, if you're wondering whether you have one, see a doctor. What's a $5 copay? I didn't need a doctor to know I had one. I can see mine easily if I bend my wrists down and touch my thumb knuckles together, to compare the profile with my right wrist. Despite being full of fluid, they are quite hard. Instead of flexing when prodded, they will slip out from under the invading finger like an icecube on glass.

I've been told by my doctor not to opt for surgery, though it was so long ago I've forgotten why. Nextjoe, let us know what your doctor says when you ask about treatment, my interest is rekindled.

 

[jsalcedo]

The treatment they did for my wifes ganglion cyst was to jab it repeatedly with the largest bore needle in their inventory.

They explained that it would pop the cyst and generate enough scar tissue to impede further growth.

It did take about 8 years for it to grow back.

 

[Kurush]

I developed one of those on the first joint of my thumb a few months ago. The doctor said to leave it alone or at most massage it. I hadn't thought about the bump in a while but I just checked and for what it's worth mine has shrunk a lot since it first formed.

I'm not a doctor obviously but mashing it with a bible or anything else sounds like a very bad idea to me. The ganglion is a bulge in one of the sacs that buffer between joints, if you break that buffer you could damage the joint.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

As a teenager, I had them several times, occurring on both wrists, but never two at once. I grew up calling them Bible Bumps as per my mother, but knew them to be ganglion cysts after visiting the doctor. My brother had them as well. The doctor refused to drain them since I was still growing.

Bible bashing (that's bashing with a Bible) does work. Kurush is worried about damaging the joint via rupturing the cyst. Depending on how old you are, I would be worried about damaging the bone itself.

In junior high, I had a couple that went away during physical contact. My wrist was stepped on in gym class, rupturing the cyst, and providing remarkable pain relief that was almost instant. In another event, my arm got slamming into a wall during roughhousing, with the same result.

I did have friends treat me with books. In high school, the biggest book anyone had was an anatomy book. It took 4 guys and a bunch of attempts, but the end result was produced and was successful. I was bruised from the multiple attempts leading up to the successful attempt, but had a LOT of relief.

The pain I endured from having my wrist smashed with a big book was pretty insignificant compared to the pain caused by the cyst. I am not suggesting you have your wrist bashed, but if you experience pain like I did, it can be almost crippling.

Since high school, they have only come back one or two times, both minor and short term incidents that posed little problem.

 

[Citadel99]

I had one in college on my wrist. First had it drained and it came back in a month or so. Then had it surgically removed. Haven't had a problem since.

Mark

 

[Lone_Gunman]

The only way to heal is cold steel.

 

[The Undertoad]

Yes I have had one in my right (dominant) wrist. Comes and goes. It sucks. Doesn't bother me unless I use the computer a LOT or do LOTS of pushups or trick rifle drill... But man when it gets bad it gets BAD. Never had any sort of medical treatment for it... Tried the bible method once with a dictionary but couldn't get it to pop.

 

[MillCreek]

Lone Gunman, speaking as the surgeon he is, recommends surgery. Surgery is indeed definitive, but often, a trial of aspiration to drain the cyst is tried first. According to whose studies you like to quote, about 70% or so of the ganglion cysts never recur after one aspiration, and about 85% take up to three aspirations to resolve.

The location, size, and degree of pain or neurological compromise (numbness, tingling, loss of strength or sensation) in the wrist, hand or fingers caused by the cyst can help decide on aspiration vs. surgery. Generally speaking, a smaller cyst or a cyst on the back of the hand is more amenable to aspiration. A cyst in close proximity to a joint, tendon or in the wrist is more often considered a surgical candidate.

Were I in your shoes, I would go to see an orthopedic surgeon or a hand surgeon. Most, but not all, hand surgeons are also orthopedists. They can do either the aspiration or surgery as need be. A primary care physician, such as an internist or family practitioner, may be able to do the aspiration, but could not do surgery, if indicated. And in a tricky location like a wrist or tendon sheath, most primary care physicians would not want to try an aspiration, leaving that instead to the experts.

 

[TallPine]

I had one on my left wrist in my late teens. One day I fell on the ice, and tried to catch myself with that hand and busted the cyst. It hasn't come back in 30 yrs now.

Funny thing was that I fell in the driveway of some really rich folks that I was working for, and at that moment the lady was horrified - I guess she thought they were going to get sued.

 

[hso]

Got one on my right hand just "down stream" of the wrist. It dosn't give me any trouble.

 

[wahsben]

I had one on my right wrist and after several months because it would occasionally cause me intense pain and because the doctor I went to see told me that with aspiration it could return I chose the surgery. The doctor told me it would be minimal and that they would use an anesthetic block on my arm and that I would be consious during the operation. I had asked the doctor if there were any complications to stop and just drain it and close it up. Well I was not awake during the procedure and when I woke up I had a cast on my arm all the way to my elbow. The doctor said my cyst needed to be cut out of the tendon and my tendon repaired. I ended up with scar tissue and now I have less fine motor movement than before and it took several months of Physical therapy to get that. That was over 3 years ago now and it bothers me everyday instead of occasionally like the cyst did.

My recomendation is to try other methods first and surgery as a last resort.
Put Ganglion Cyst in your search engine and check out what they say about it and if your Dr. says the surgery will only be minimal and you'll have full use of your hand in a few days find a different Dr. because for the wrist they recommend several weeks. If you decide to go the surgical route go to a hand specialist and when they give you the medical form at the time of surgery to sign write down any stipulations and or agreements you made with the doctor before signing. Good Luck.

 

[Biker]

You could always revert to the old-fashioned non-surgical technique..... the Family Bible!.

Just lay your wrist on the kitchen table, cyst side up, and have someone smack it really hard with the bible; cyst goes "Pop!", and if you're lucky, it will completely resolve.

Of course, most times they just come back bigger, but you won't know 'til you try it.


Aspiration may work well at first, but don't be surprised if the cyst reappears.

Surgery is usually 100% effective, but......it's surgery; most often going under the knife, even for minor procedures, is the last option.

This works. I developed one years ago and when I went to see my Doc about it he instructed me to hold my arm straight out in front of me which I did. He reached into his drawer and pulled out a phone book, then raised it above his head and whacked the offending cyst sharply.
I remember yelling out in pain and shouting "***'re you doin'?"
He replied "Saving you about seven-hundred bucks".
It never came back.
Biker

 

[ddc]

My wife had one and had it operated on fairly recently, about a year ago.

She healed from the surgery quickly and regained use of that arm/hand/wrist quickly; however her hand/wrist was imobilized in a splint for almost two weeks as I recall.

Preliminary results are positive but it hasn't been that long.

PS: She was also told about "slam the phone book on it technique" but elected for the surgery instead.

 

[mfree]

"I remember yelling out in pain and shouting "***'re you doin'?"
He replied "Saving you about seven-hundred bucks".
It never came back."

I like your doctor, wish there were more like him

 

[nextjoe]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I guess these things are pretty common. I'm seeing my doc tomorrow; kind of amazing that I could get in on a holiday week like this.

I actually tried the "whack it with a big book" technique a couple times, but no luck. I'm going to have it aspirated, most likely. Not sure if my family doc can do that or if he'll refer me to a specialist. Surgery will be an absolute last resort.

Funny that Moparmike mentioned his 10mm, because I've been shooting mine a lot lately (around 100 rounds a week for two months or so) and I think that may have played a role in my getting this cyst. I also found out that my mother was prone to them when she was in her teens and twenties, so I may have a genetic predisposition to develop them.

In the meantime, I'll keep my range sessions limited to left-handed shooting and try to baby that right hand.

Thanks again, all.

 

[Biker]

I like your doctor, wish there were more like him

Yup. He's old-school. Believe it or not, his name is Doctor Payne. No BS...

Biker

 

[Correia]

I've been plauged with them my whole life. Constantly. They eventually get ruptured, but then come back a few months later. I have them on both wrists, and usually have one at any given time somewhere. I bend my wrists as I write this, and the right one is currently big, and the left is minor. I get them between my wrist bones mostly, but I've gotten them on the top and bottom as well.

They hurt, but you get used to them I guess. (same as bad feet) The only thing they really hinder me from doing is push ups. Once I bend my wrists far enough back to put my hands flat on the ground, it just hurts too bad to do very many push ups.

 

[Cosmoline]

I've developed a ganglion cyst in my right wrist, possibly caused by recoil from handgun shooting. It's basically a small fluid-filled sack that grows from a joint or tendon sheath. Mine is large enough that I can't shoot a handgun with any real level of recoil without experiencing a sharp jolt of pain in that wrist.

I used to get them all the time when I worked on the loading dock. The cure I used was to place my hand wrist-up in a large book and slam the cover shut on the sack. It seemed to work, but your idea of going to a doctor may be better

edit--looks like that's a well-established treatment

 

[mons meg]

Another vote for the Big Book treatment. When I first met my wife, about once a year I would have to go get the Complete Works of Shakespeare and whack her on the wrist. Out out, damned spot!

 

[ken grant]

I had one when I was about 20 yrs. old and my Doc used a large hardcover Med. book and wacked it with one blow.
Now 67 yrs. and it never came back.