Any thoughts on this, people? I have a hard lump on my wrist joint that feels like a bone. It seems to be something like additional bone growth, and I am pretty sure that it should not really be there. Other people don't have this, I think! So what should I do about this? Should I see a doctor?
Lumps on the body are always a reason for worry, particularly those that appear out of nowhere. Sometimes the lumps may appear on arms or wrists. They could be painful or not, but even if painless, they could cause discomfort. There are many causes for a lump on the wrist, most of them being benign. One of the commonest reasons is a broken wrist that didn't heal properly, as the member who replied first suggested. However, the member who started the discussion said that he had never broken his wrist and that he would certainly notice if he had. So he asked again:
Are there any other possible causes of lumps on the wrist?
Although it doesn't necessarily mean broken wrist, the lump may be a result of a previous injury, as one participant noticed. He fell on his wrist about 10 years ago and this bump appeared. He also noted that the lump would go away and then come up again. Many other participants in the discussion also noted this recurring nature of the lump.
It reappears every 2-3 months it seems like and prevents me from doing any pushing actions or repetitive actions in a certain direction.
For others, the lump wouldn't go away. Many described the lump as hard, bony growth, usually the size of a marble or bigger.
I have a hard lump on my wrist joint that feels like a bone.
While many noted the lump felt like a bone, the top of it was soft. One participant described it as a knot that felt like hard rubber. For some, the lump was painful and usually located where the thumb attaches to the wrist joint.
One participant wrote that it could be tendonitis, an inflammation of the tendons around the wrist joint. However, symptoms of tendonitis are a pain in the wrist, swelling around the wrist joint, as well as warmth and redness. Lump on the wrist joint is not a symptom of tendonitis. Rarely tho, the lump in the wrist may indicate arthritis, especially if it's painful.
A lot of participants noted that quite often lump on the wrist can indicate a ganglion cyst. They are very common and can sometimes be painful. Ganglion cysts are typically fluid-filled (doesn't mean they will be soft) and can be caused by overstretching the tendon and so the synovial fluid leaks and forms a pouch. Sometimes ganglion cysts can go away on their own, sometimes they won't.
So what should I do about this?
Many participants mentioned that the most effective and easy way to get rid of a ganglion cyst is to hit the lump (or have someone hit it for you) with a really big, hard book. Even doctors were advising people to whack these lumps with a phone book or a bible, especially in olden days. This method, despite being supported by some clinical evidence, is not recommended because it can cause a great deal of harm, such s infection or even broken wrist. Anyone who is concerned about the lump on the wrist should see a doctor.
What do experts say?
As mentioned in the discussion, the most common cause of a lump on the wrist is a ganglion cyst.
What is a ganglion cyst?
Ganglion cysts are noncancerous lumps that most commonly develop along the tendons or joints of the wrists or hands. The most common locations are:
- the top of the wrist,
- the palm side of the wrist,
- the base of the finger on the palm side, and
- the top of the end joint of the finger (they are then known as mucous cysts).
The ganglion cyst is filled with clear fluid or gel and often resembles a water balloon on a stalk. Depending on the size, ganglion cysts may feel firm or spongy. Small ganglion cysts can be pea-sized, while larger ones can grow to around an inch (2.5 centimeters) in diameter. Ganglion cysts can be painful if they press on a nearby nerve. Their location and size can sometimes interfere with joint movement.
It is not known what causes the formation of ganglion cysts. 70% of ganglion cysts occur in younger people between the ages of 20 and 40 years, and women are more likely to be affected than men.
Diagnosis of a ganglion cyst
Whether you have symptoms such as pain or numbness, or not, your ganglion cyst can benefit from medical evaluation. Moreover, other growths can also present as a ganglion cyst, so the right diagnosis would keep you from worrying and help the doctor decide on the best treatment plan for you.
A physical exam is often all that is needed to diagnose a ganglion cyst. Further tests may be required, such as needle aspiration or ultrasound.
Treatment of a ganglion cyst
Many ganglion cysts require no treatment and will disappear on their own without any intervention. In many cases, these cysts can simply be observed, especially if they are painless. If the cyst becomes painful, limits activity, or becomes a cosmetic problem, several treatment options can be recommended:
- Immobilization with a brace or splint to prevent the growth
- Anti-inflammatory medication can be used for pain
- Aspiration - In this procedure a needle is placed into the cyst to drain the fluid out. This method can be combined with previous two, i.e. the needle can be used to inject a steroid (anti-inflammatory) medication into the cyst, and then the wrist can be immobilized to keep it from moving.
- Surgery - This may be an option if other approaches haven't worked, especially because the cyst usually recurs. During the surgery, the doctor removes the cyst and the stalk that attaches it to the joint or tendon. However, the cyst can recur, even after surgery.
In the past, home care of a ganglion cyst has included many unorthodox methods, one of the most prominent being using a heavy book to physically smash the cyst. A heavy book in question was the Bible, hence the name of this procedure - "Bible therapy," and a colloquial name of the ganglion cysts as "Bible cysts" or "Bible bumps."
Plenty of people are still happy to try this method nowadays, except instead of the Bible, they use any huge book they can lay their hands on, such as phone books or encyclopedias.
Although there have been studies claiming that blunt force may be an effective treatment for ganglion cysts, there are good reasons not to do it. The first reason is that smashing the cyst with a book could cause damage to the surrounding tissue, not only a bad bruising but breaking a bone.
Also, there is a recurrence problem. One study found that in those who tried the bible-bashing method the fluid indeed dissipated and the bump reduced, however, the cyst recurrence rates were between 22% and 64%.
So, how should you deal with a ganglion cyst? The answer is simple - if it doesn't hurt or cause movement problems, you should leave it alone. The good news is that 45% of ganglion cysts disappear by themselves after six years, and after a decade more than half would be gone.
If it's painful, put down the Bible and visit your doctor.
Links:
- https://www.assh.org/handcare/hand-arm-conditions/ganglion-cyst
- https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/ganglion-cyst-of-the-wrist-and-hand/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2682407/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4045351/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4916095/
- https://pmj.bmj.com/content/79/932/329
Discussion highlights
What symptoms have been reported?
- I have a hard lump on my wrist joint that feels like a bone.
- It seems to be something like additional bone growth, and I am pretty sure that it should not really be there.
- But now I flex my wrist back and I can feel and see a hard lump painful lump about where my thumb attaches to my wrist joint.
- But now my wrist is constantly swollen and this ball is huge in my wrist joint.
- It is not on the bottom of my wrist, it is on the top middle so it looks like a bone is sticking out.
- mine is on the top middle as well.
- I have a hard lump in my wrist when I bend it forward .
- Which is a big bump which means they were given too much flexibility growing up and it started to swell so the bones began to develop a bump to compensate for the internal pressure.
- I dropped my iPad on the bump it didnt pop it or anything it just made it hurt worse.
- My wrists been hurting on and off for about two months as in I'd catch it just lifting something and it would continue to hurt for the next two days.
- But anyway I'm going doctors because a have a milder one in my other wrists to.
- It's very painful, I also got carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Not only does it hurt, it hurts my fingers and my forearm as well, and it also limits mobility in my wrist.
- I fell on it about 10 years ago and this bump appeared and it would go away and i would do something and it would come up again and i would have to wait for it to go away again.
- It was attached and pulling on a nerve which was causing a lot of pain.
- and it goes away and comes back, and when it is there it limits my abilitys and gets very painful, expecially at night.
- The knot was sort of hard like hard rubber.
- It would only get sore if I bumped it on something or when I rubbed it.
- I've been fishing a lot recently and the spinning motion of reeling in the line seems to get painful after 2-3 hours.
- It feels like a bone at first but the tip top of it is soft.
- It reappears every 2-3 months it seems like and prevents me from doing any pushing actions or repetitive actions in a certain direction.
- It does hurt but only when I push on something ex.
- It's about the size of a marble I guess.
- I am house keeper and have noticed lots of changes in my hands, joints and fingers,,, This lump I have is hard and kinda bony right on the wrist below the thumb?
- I had two very big ganglions on my wrist and have been waiting for the operation for a long time now, since then they have diserpeard and a lump (hard and attached to the bone) has appeared and it's causing lots of pain, especially using it to lift things and also when I move my fingers!
- this sounds a lot like my wrist where the thumb and wrist connect I have a sharp pointy bump that feels like it's attached to my bone but now my entire hand wrist and arm hurts all the way to my elbow to the point where it affects me at home doing daily activities fixing my hair taking a shower putting on deodorant it affects me at work it's very painful for me to do my job.
- I did go to the hospital to have it checked out due to the fact that I noticed it was getting worse the pain that is.
- but the problem is is it still very painful and I'm waiting for my insurance to come in so I can go see a doctor and hope that they can diagnose the problem and hopefully fix it.
- I broke it last year in April and this has appeared over the past few weeks.
- I have also.I believe that it may have occurred from a repetitive motion from pushing Mom's wheel chair over 2 years.I pivot when pushing rather than using my whole arm.It almost looks like a bunion.
- and hurts when I bend it back, or say put on my seatbelt, or reach back to adjust a hood or collar.Sometimes in the morning it hurts to turn on a tap, and then it sort of snaps a bit and seems a bit better.
- I have the same prob with my wrist also I went to the doc got xray he said it was a protruding wrist bone from some,type of injury in the past but it hurts bad into,my fingers and up,my arm and it my primary hand so even when I write it like I can't,move my fingers well after cause of the pain.
- When I touch mine or press on the bone it actually kind of hurts but not hat much.
- When I bend my wrist down you can see it pointed up or popping up
- But today I noticed my wrist bone is bigger than my other hand I'm wondering if it's stretching or growing along my bones.
- It's on the top of my hand , but mine has gotten hard and don't move.it's gone away come back etc thousands of times.
- It sounds like a ganglion cyst to me,I had one about a year ago it was a hard lump so that might just be the case
- The xrays show no problem with the bone yet the hard lump on my knee appears as though the bone is pushing out.
- On my right hand it is a hard bump where my thumb meets my wrist but it doesnt hurt and hopefully doesnt start.
- It felt like a bone protruding.
- I have the samething it appeared out of nowhere it looks like a bone but my wrist isnt swollen or doesnt hurt alot its a bump on my wrist its itchy and aches a little .
- I too have a growth like projection on the thumb-wrist side , I will soon see a hand specialist (who already ruled out carpal tunnel), for cortisone injections- this new lump is painful to touch and burns with hand use.
- It feel like large pointy bone spur and I can't close my hand.
- The pain is a sharp pain even on the inside of my hand when I close it.
- I have a painless lump on my wrist below my pinkie finger.
- It's like there's a bone in my wrist that's getting bigger and bigger on the side where my thumb connects to my wrist.
- Now I'm 5 months postpartum and its getting really bad.
- Hi I have the exact same thing happening in my wrist,but it doesnt hurt.Just really annoying.I went to the doctors and I had an xray.My doctor said it is a slight prominent on the lump area,but within normal limitation.If it starts to hurt or gets bigger he wants to see me again.Yeah it is a worry and I am glad I went to the my doctor
- I have a "bunion like" growth on my wrist, aligned with my left thumb, and I haven't broken my wrist.
- After holding the phone for extended periods of time, my wrist began to hurt and after a while, I noticed the protrusion.
- My wrist has hurt for last 2 month its nust getting worse urgent care first said i broke it so i went to ortho doctor and he said it was tendinitis and pain fot worse just by my hanging diwn it throbs just to barely touch so went nack urgent care so they said now arthritis and tendinitis it hurts so bad bout go back to emergency room what could this be.
- I have what looks like a sharp bone sticking out on the back of my wrist (visible when I bend wrist forward).
- It grew twice as big over night.
- Hurts really had on some days.
- Other days just Hurst when I move certain ways.
- But I see it's growing super fast and ugly.
- I went in this year before it got this big and they didn't find anything.
- Today it's actually burning and tingling on the thumb side to mid forearm that's what made me wanna research.
What diagnosis has been made?
- My doctor said I had a Boss on my hands from the MCP joint.
- Mine was a ganglian cyst after all, nothing at all to worry about as they go away quickly and easily as mine has done.
- It's very painful, I also got carpal tunnel syndrome.
- I saw a doctor about it and he told me it may not be a ganglion cyst because the ball does not move in my wrist when I move my fingers do and he said it should.
- I was also told I had a ganglia on my wrist.
- I had surgery last week to remove it and the doctor discovered it was a growth and not a ganglia.
- Which is a big bump which means they were given too much flexibility growing up and it started to swell so the bones began to develop a bump to compensate for the internal pressure.
- It is a cyst but mine just so happens to need to be operated on even after doing this the chances of it coming back in the same spot is very high.
- I have the same a ganglion sist, I have this about a year now, my neurosurgeon also told me I must just smack it hard with a telephone book or so, that the sist burst.
- It was attached and pulling on a nerve which was causing a lot of pain.
- It could be tendonitis.I had severe wrist pain.No anti-inflammatory pills could not relieve my pain.I ended up seeing an ortho doc that suggest corticosteroid injection to bilateral wrist tendons,the ones by my thumbs.The side effect of that if you are dark skin color,the area will lighten up.That happen to my wrist area,a vitiligo king thing.I am a nurse,i do a lot of repetitive motions wih my hand.you could the bump bunion for real.Usually after work i feel discomfort.I tried to do hand herapy,also ice therapy.
- they put me in a splint well the splint just made it a lot worse so I had to remove the splint and keep it off just so I would be able to use that hand any at all.
- I have the same prob with my wrist also I went to the doc got xray he said it was a protruding wrist bone from some,type of injury in the past but it hurts bad into,my fingers and up,my arm and it my primary hand so even when I write it like I can't,move my fingers well after cause of the pain.
- He is sending me,to a surgeon
- It is a bone, doctor told me it was a fracture, and it didn't heal properly.
- That's exactly what the doctor offered to do to fix my ganglion.
- I've had x-rays due to pain and it's attached to my bones in my hand.
- I've had a ganglion cyst for as long as I can remember.
- I had ganglion (top of wrist) cysts as a teen- this is not the same.
- I too have a growth like projection on the thumb-wrist side , I will soon see a hand specialist (who already ruled out carpal tunnel), for cortisone injections- this new lump is painful to touch and burns with hand use.
- I have had many ganglion cysts and they do finally disappear on their own but may take years.
- Hi I have the exact same thing happening in my wrist,but it doesnt hurt.Just really annoying.I went to the doctors and I had an xray.My doctor said it is a slight prominent on the lump area,but within normal limitation.If it starts to hurt or gets bigger he wants to see me again.Yeah it is a worry and I am glad I went to the my doctor
- My wrist has hurt for last 2 month its nust getting worse urgent care first said i broke it so i went to ortho doctor and he said it was tendinitis and pain fot worse just by my hanging diwn it throbs just to barely touch so went nack urgent care so they said now arthritis and tendinitis it hurts so bad bout go back to emergency room what could this be.
- I was told last year it was tendonitis.
Verified Claims & Medical Studies
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i think it could be arthritis inthe hand and wrist i have it you should go to te doctor.
https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/osteoarthritis.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2904904/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3527878/
In conclusion
The lump on the wrist is most likely a ganglion cyst - a fluid-filled noncancerous lump that most commonly develops along the tendons or joints of the wrists or hands. If it's not painful or if it doesn't limit the mobility of the wrist, the treatment is usually not required. Almost half of the ganglion cysts would disappear spontaneously. The doctor evaluation may be required if the cyst is painful, too big, or if the doctor wants to exclude other causes.