Advanced Care for “Bible Bumps”
Ganglion cysts (sometimes also known as “Bible bumps or Bible cysts”) are fluid-filled lumps that show up just under your skin on or around your joints and tendons. They most often appear in the hands and wrists, although they can also develop in the ankles and feet. They’re usually harmless and can go away by themselves.
If you have a ganglion cyst that’s painful or is making it hard to move, you need expert care, not the old home remedy that involved hitting the cyst with a heavy book, such as a Bible, to try to make it rupture. St. Luke’s orthopedic experts provide complete care for ganglion cysts, from conservative treatments to surgery, including minimally invasive techniques for less pain and faster healing.
How We Diagnose Ganglion Cysts
Talk to your doctor if you notice any bumps on or near your wrists, hands, feet or ankles. Your doctor will examine the location and appearance of your lump. A ganglion cyst is often translucent if you shine a light through it. A lump close to your joints is another key sign it could be a ganglion cyst.
Our Ganglion Cyst Treatment Options
Ganglion cysts are often harmless. You may not need treatment if your cyst isn’t bothering you. However, your doctor will recommend treatment options if the cyst is hurting you, interfering with your mobility or causing you to feel self-conscious about how you look.
We start with conservative (nonsurgical) treatment options for ganglion cysts. Your doctor may discuss surgery with you if other treatments don’t help. You may benefit from one or more of these treatment options:
- Anti-inflammatory medications can reduce swelling and help manage your pain.
- Braces or splints may offer support and minimize movement of the joint to reduce pain and help the ganglion cyst get smaller.
- Aspiration is a procedure where your doctor inserts a small needle into the cyst to drain the fluid. You may feel immediate relief after this procedure. We can do this procedure in your doctor’s office. There’s a chance your symptoms can return, because aspiration doesn’t get rid of the cyst’s sac, so it may fill up with fluid again.
- Surgery to remove a ganglion cyst is called ganglionectomy. Your orthopedic surgeon will remove the entire cyst to greatly reduce the chances of it ever returning. This is usually an outpatient procedure so you can go home the same day.
An at-home treatment for ganglion cysts used to be to smash it with a heavy book — often the family Bible, which led to its nickname — to rupture the cyst. We do not recommend this treatment. It can lead to internal damage and scarring, and it may even make other treatments less likely to work in the future.
Symptoms of Ganglion Cysts
If a ganglion cyst is pressing on your nerve, you may feel tingling, numbness, pain or muscle weakness. They can make certain routine movements like walking or gripping a toothbrush difficult. Regular movement can also cause ganglion cysts to grow. Talk to your doctor if you have a lump that’s hurting, making movement difficult or is affecting how you feel about your appearance.
Risk Factors for Ganglion Cysts
There’s nothing you can do to prevent a ganglion cyst from developing on your body. These cysts can be painful and disruptive to your everyday life, but they’re not a serious threat to your health. Ganglion cysts aren’t cancerous and will not spread to form other cysts.