What are the dangers of ganglion cyst?

Ganglion cysts can cause many harms. Usually, patients will experience affected activities and symptoms of local soreness and discomfort. As the tension of the cyst increases and the tumor becomes harder, the pain will become more obvious.

1. General symptoms

Ganglion cysts can occur at any age, but are more common in young and middle-aged people, and more common in women than in men. The cysts are slow growing, round, and usually no larger than 2 cm in diameter. There are also sudden discoverers. A few may disappear on their own or grow again. In some cases, apart from local swelling, there is no conscious discomfort and sometimes mild tenderness. In most cases, there is local soreness or discomfort, which affects activities. The size of the cyst has no direct relationship with the severity of the symptoms, but is related to the tension of the cyst. The greater the tension, the harder the tumor and the more obvious the pain.

2. Local symptoms

During the examination, a round lump with a smooth appearance and clear boundaries can be felt. The surface skin can be pushed, there is no adhesion, and there is soreness or pain when pressed. Most cysts have high tension and are firm lumps, while a few are soft but all have a cystic feeling. The cyst has a fixed base and little movement.

(1) Ganglion cyst of wrist

Most cases occur on the dorsal side of the wrist, and a few occur on the palm side. The most common site is the dorsal joint capsule of the wrist joint on the radial side of the common extensor tendon, followed by the radial flexor carpi tendon and the abductor pollicis longus tendon. Cysts may also develop in the flexor tendon sheath within the carpal tunnel, compressing the median nerve and inducing carpal tunnel syndrome. A few ganglion cysts may occur on the flexor tendon sheath of the fingers beyond the metacarpophalangeal joint. They are the size of a grain of rice and as hard as cartilage.

(2) Ganglion cysts of the foot and ankle are most common in the dorsalis pedis, which usually originate from the tendon sheath of the extensor digitorum longus tendon lateral to the dorsalis pedis artery. Ganglion cysts in the tarsal tunnel can compress the tibial nerve and are one of the causes of tarsal tunnel syndrome.