Ganglion Cyst- Work Through The Pain?

[TtownCrush]

Well, after about a years lay off on all grip workouts, I've decided to pick up the ball once again (and boy do those grippers hurt so so bad again). Well, anyhow, I stopped grip training because I was getting pains in my left wrist whenever I'd bend it back (like on bench press, or even pushing open those big heavy metal doors). I went to the doctor about it and he said it was a ganglion cyst, and that usually they go away in time or get operated on. Well the predicament here is, the cyst in my wrist is very small. To small to notice with the eye, it has to be felt and can still be hard to feel completely. The doctor said it was to small to operate on, and that it will either go away on its own eventually or will become bigger and can be operated on.

Now the pain I get is just a pressure pain. Like someone jabbing there finger into you to hard. The pain has been pretty well consistent. It doesn't hurt more today than it did 3 months ago, or 3 months before that. Ever since it's developed, everything has remained the same. The cyst is still small. That pain is uncomfortable but bearable. The pain is never bad enough to make me go "Ouch!" but may an "Ahh" if that makes sense at all.

I'd like to bust out some plate curls, sledge, and wrist roller again and start hitting the forearms and wrists and not just the grippers.

So, can/should I work through the pain, in this situation given the circumstances?

I'd like to get some peoples opinions. Thanks. (edited for spelling)

Edited July 24, 2005 by TtownCrush

[Blarg]

Did your doctor tell you that exercise would worsen it, or to stay away from endurance or strength types of exercise?

This sounds like a matter to be weighed between your doctor's advice and your own willingness and financial ability and desire/lack of desire to go through an operation.

Unless someone here has had a ganglion cyst themselves, I'd find it hard for them to do anything but validate a decision you seem already to have made.

[TtownCrush]

The doctor said it's hard to tell if it get worse with exercise. He said it may but may not and it'd be to hard to predict.

And it's not that I don't want to get an operation, in fact, I want to. But he says mine is to small and that he wont cut my hand open to remove such a small cyst. He even said he doubted an orthopedic surgeon would be willing to cut my wrist open and cut it out based on how small it is.

[DAN PRAYDIS]

i had one on my right wrist right below my thumb when i was 19 years old i use to put muscle rub on to make the pain go away while i lifted and armwrestled. like you said mine was to small so i waited until it got bigger . and it will mine got the size if a large marble and i got it took off i hate to tell you this but the scar tissue hurts as bad as the cyst its self so block it out get some icy hot and go lift . some times it will break up and go away by its self no joke

[Blarg]

What causes them?

[SHRUG]

My dad had one of those and this might sound crazy but his doctor, who was the best doctor I have ever known by the way, told him that the best way to get rid of them was to SMASH them with a book or similar object. You got to smash it hard which hurts but also breaks up the cyst and the body then gets rid of it on its own. I am telling you, the cyst on my dad's wrist was very noticable to the naked eye and after he smashed that thing a few times it was gone totally. Other people he knows have done it now and it worked for them too, it is worth a try.

[TtownCrush]

Blarg, no one knows exactly what causes them. Research I've found say, in a nutshell... No exact known cause, women more likely to be affected than men, common in gymnasts because of repeated stress to the wrist but could also form almost immediately from a particular instance of extreme stress on the wrist, occupations that require excessive overuse of the wrist.

So pretty much it's just a case of... some people get them, but most don't.

I'm not completely sure what caused mine. I've thought and limited it to 2 things. It was either the sledge work, because I got real big into doing those two or three times a week. Or the metal shop project, which was pretty heavy and I had to constanly move it, push it, pull it, turn it, etc. But it could be, neither of these had anything to do with it. I just don't know.

Shrugs method has been used for years from what I've gathered as well, but I dont think that will work for me either because mine is so so small.

Thanks for the input thus far fellas, it's appreciated. Any more would be appreciated as well.

Edited July 25, 2005 by TtownCrush

[Blarg]

Interesting, thanks for the info.

The smashing I guess you'd have to do on one that wasn't inflamed maybe? Because I guess you wouldn't want to force anything infected into your tissues. I dunno, just musing. I've heard how painful they can be, and that they can get infected.

[Martin]

I used to do work for a doctor on medical electronics. He was a vascular surgeon specialising in injury rehab. He also used to say best way to fix ganglion cysts was to smash them with a heavy book. In some parts of the world they smack em with a bible.

[SHRUG]

You need to bend your wrist down so that the cyst is exposed as much as you can get it and then either have someone smash it with a real heavy book or smash it yourself off of the botton of a table. My dad smashed it himself off of the bottom of a big table, he did this twice, at first it hurt him alot and it swelled up alot but in the morning it was almost totally gone and after 2 days it was totally gone. Trust me man, give it a try.

[ttedford]

I had the same thing about 4 years ago..it was the size of a small marble. You don't have to operate it if it's that small ..my doctor just simply stuck a needle in it and extracted the fluid..it hasn't come back. He also adviced to massage the area hard to spread the fluid ..as opposed to smashing it which could smash your writst in the process as well

Anyway, I think the pain is that it might press against a nerve when you move your wrist in a certain position. The fluid is actually a gel...the gel that the joints use to move smoothly. For some reason it accumulates in sac around the wrist.

My two cents..

-t

[Blarg]

Sticking a needle in it seems pretty sensible.

[HAMMERHEAD]

I've been dealing with this for a few years now. Actually, I had to stop training grippers because it made my effected wrist hurt too much.

I've just worked around it and got stronger. It never got bigger and stayed the size of a couple pencile erasers.

I saw the doc and had an MRI. It turned out it wasn't one cyst but a bunch of little ones, which made it more complicated. Most of it popped when I was bending a 12" spike. This suprised me and it ached for a day. Most of it's gone now and you can't really see it any more. I haven't gone back to the doc, although I should just to reevaluate it. In my opinion, for me, it's not worth getting cut if it's very small. I'm just staying away from bending reverse and levering to my nose. This pisses me off, but it's a small price to pay. Who knows, the last little bit in my wrist may pop later too.

Good luck.

-HH

[TtownCrush]

All help has been greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot fellas.

[33wes]

My dad had one of those and this might sound crazy but his doctor, who was the best doctor I have ever known by the way, told him that the best way to get rid of them was to SMASH them with a book or similar object. You got to smash it hard which hurts but also breaks up the cyst and the body then gets rid of it on its own. I am telling you, the cyst on my dad's wrist was very noticable to the naked eye and after he smashed that thing a few times it was gone totally. Other people he knows have done it now and it worked for them too, it is worth a try.

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That method is supposed to work the best. I had a small one near my right thumb that went away on its own.