Ganglion Cyst
A smooth, harmless, jelly-filled lump, usually on the back of the wrist, the palm side of the wrist or at the base of a finger. Up to half disappear on their own. Treatment is optional unless it hurts or gets in the way.
Typical signs: a rounded, rubbery lump from pea to grape size that may change size over time. Most are painless; some ache, especially with wrist movement, or press on a nerve and cause tingling.
Why it happens: joint or tendon fluid leaks into a pouch next to a joint or tendon sheath. Usually there’s no clear cause.
Diagnosis: usually by look and feel: a GP may shine a light through it. An ultrasound helps if the lump is unusual, hard, growing fast or painful.
The ganglion ladder
Leaving it alone is a genuine, evidence-backed option. Treatment trades a smaller lump for a chance of it coming back.
- Step 1 · Self-careWatch and waitIf it’s painless and not in the way, leave it.
- Works
- About 4 to 6 in 10 disappear without treatment over time
- Cost
- Free
- How long
- Months to years
- Watch for
- A lump that’s hard, growing fast, or painful at night needs checking.
Doing nothing is the treatment with the fewest side effects.
- Step 2 · PharmacySimple pain relief and a wrist splintFor an aching wrist ganglion, rest it from heavy loading for a while.
- Works
- May ease ache; doesn’t make it vanish faster. Long-term splinting isn’t recommended
- Cost
- About $5–40
- How long
- Short term
- Watch for
- Stiffness if worn for long.
Comfort, not cure.
- Step 3 · ProcedureDrainage (aspiration)The jelly is sucked out through a needle, sometimes under ultrasound.
- Works
- Quick, but it fails (comes back or doesn’t fully go) in roughly 15–70 in 100 across studies. Back at work in about 3 days
- Cost
- About $0–250 depending on the clinic
- How long
- Minutes; may need repeating
- Watch for
- Bruising; small infection risk. Not for ganglions near the palm-side wrist artery without ultrasound.
Cheap, fast, frequently temporary.
- Step 4 · SpecialistSurgical removalOpen or keyhole removal by a hand surgeon, for painful or troublesome lumps.
- Works
- Comes back less than after draining, but still in about 1 in 5 in trials. In long-term follow-up, people who had surgery, drainage or just reassurance had similar symptoms
- Cost
- Free in the public system (expect a wait, often long for this); private costs vary
- How long
- About 2 weeks off heavy work
- Watch for
- Scar tenderness, stiffness, numbness, reduced grip; complications are more common than after draining.
Surgery wins on lumps, not always on happiness.
Save your money
Popular, heavily marketed or often asked about, but the evidence is weak or says no.
- Hitting it with a bookThe old “Bible bump” risks injuring your hand, and there’s no evidence it beats waiting.
- Popping it yourself with a needleInfection risk, especially near joints. Leave needles to clinics.
- Creams, oils or homeopathic remediesNo evidence they shrink ganglions.
- Injecting steroid into the cyst after drainingNon-surgical treatments, steroid included, haven’t been shown to stop ganglions coming back.
What you can do
- If it’s painless, keep an eye on it. Many shrink or go away.
- Take a photo with a coin next to it to track size over time.
- For a finger ganglion that catches on things, a padded plaster helps.
- Talk to your GP if you’re keen on treatment: weigh up draining vs surgery against the chance of it coming back.
See your GP if
- The lump is painful, growing, or getting in the way of work or hobbies
- You have numbness, tingling or weakness in the hand
- You’re not sure it’s a ganglion: it’s hard, fixed, irregular or not near a joint
See a doctor promptly for a lump that’s growing quickly, hard or fixed, painful at night, or red, hot and swollen, or if the skin over it breaks down or leaks.
Common questions
Is a ganglion cancer?
No. Ganglions are harmless and don’t turn into cancer. A lump that’s hard, growing fast or unusual should still be checked to be sure it is a ganglion.
Will it come back after treatment?
Quite often. After draining, many come back. After surgery, about 1 in 5 returned in trials.
Should I get it removed?
Only if it hurts or gets in the way. Many go on their own, and surgery has a longer recovery and more complications than draining.
Why does it change size?
The amount of fluid inside can vary with how much you use the joint.
Helpful resources
- Treatment of ganglion cysts: review (ISRN Orthopedics 2013)Free full-text review of waiting, draining and surgery, for the curious.
Evidence and more information
- Suen et al, ISRN Orthopedics 2013: Treatment of ganglion cysts
- BestBETs: Surgery vs aspiration for ganglion cysts
maladywise.com/ganglion/