Ganglion (Bible) cyst

[bunni]

#2679

Hi Gabrielle,

Do you have any advice for healing a ganglion cyst?

I have always had small, weak wrists. About two years ago I developed my first ganglion cyst on my right wrist. It began as pain and loss of flexibility, particularly in movements like chaturanga, upward dog, push ups, or plank. Then after about a month the cyst became visible on the outside of the wrist where the face of your watch usually shows, in other words not on the palm side of the hand/wrist. Doctor confirmed it was a ganglion cyst and said it would go away with rest, which it did (I stopped all wrist related exercises and stuck to running).

Now with more activity it is back. I went to a new orthopedic doctor who specializes in hands to see if there have been developments for treating it, and he said no. So, it seems the options remain:

(1) drain the cyst with a needle (but it can, and likely will, fill back up)
(2) surgically remove the cyst and cauterize the hole in the joint where the fluid leaks
(3) rest and wait for it to go away, only to come back again
(4) (and this was NOT recommended by the doctor): the “have someone smash it with a Bible” method.

Comically, it seems #4 is nearly the best option because it is less invasive than surgery, and once the cyst ruptures it won’t refill – but of course then you risk accidentally breaking the wrist bones in the process! So none of these options seems good to me. Are you aware of anything I can do to fix it or at least lessen the pain?

It really limits me in chaturanga and upward dog. I can’t keep my hands under my shoulders. My hands are more far forward than they should be because I can’t flex my wrist enough to bring my hands down to where they ought to be. Same with Cobra but less painful because less weight is on the hands/wrists. Although in Cobra it is nearly impossible for me to bring my hands down as low as you suggest (which incidentally is a GREAT tip and really helped me improve that pose before I developed these wrist issues).

Without applying pressure to the hand, I can flex my left hand 90 degrees from my arm with no discomfort. On the right I am about 25-30 degrees shy of 90, and when I flex it feels tight in my extensor muscle all along my forearm, like the muscle really has to work hard to contract. I don’t get that feeling on the left side.

Any tips would be appreciated so much!

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11194

Hi Bunni

Can you clarify for me that it happens when you do your power style poses for which you place all or much of your weight on your hands and wrists but if you rest it doesn’t happen?

You obviously love your yoga and the joy of those upper body strengthening poses that are missing from Bikram and non-power, non-vinyasa styles.

Has there been a time where you only do the static style hot yoga poses and you have consistently enjoyed problem-free conditions in your wrists?

It’s fairly obvious what the conclusions might be from that, but I still think it’s worth clarification and then exploration.

For the sake of completeness, what have you been told, or researched about the surgical method? Cost? Recurrence post-surgery? Time to heal? Rehab? Ability to do any yoga pose afterward?

I know the idea of surgical intervention is unappealing to you but would you consider it if it were the only sustainable option? And by sustainable I mean, that it fixes the problem completely, tiny to no chance of recurrence, allows you to have a completely normal life and the yoga practice of your wishes.

Curious to know the answer to my many varied questions! :cheese:

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[bunni]

#11200

Hi Gabrielle,

Thanks for your reply. The discomfort is definitely worst when I am flexing my hand back and bearing weight, as in a push up. It feels really sore. Sometimes it also feels mildly sore – kind of fatigued – when I am just resting it. I can only see the cyst when I bend my hand forward.

I have tried different types of yoga through the years, starting with vinyasa in college. I never had a cyst, though my wrists always felt weak (no pain though). Then for about 2 years straight I did nothing but Bikram in a studio and never had any problems with my wrist. But then I moved to a place without a studio so I stopped for a few years, and now that I have moved to another new place with a studio I find myself recently single with 2 small kids, so as luck would have it I can’t go to the studio now that there is one. Arhg!!

I got back into the vinyasa style with a video I have been doing at home, and I am enjoying the upper body work. I still miss the Bikram series, and I would love to be able to go back to class. For some reason doing Bikram at home has never felt the same to me as being in the studio. I tried really hard to get into it back when I first moved to the town with no studio, but I just couldn’t get it to stick. I really love the “everybody together” aspect of doing Bikram with a big class, mat to mat, and having a great mirror. I wish I liked doing it at home, but I think it just makes me miss the studio and I set myself up for disappointment. The mirror is a big thing… I get really frustrated when I can’t see what I am doing and can’t keep my balance. Ironically, I never enjoyed doing vinyasa in a studio (for a number of reasons) but quite like doing it at home. But if I had my preference, I would go back to doing Bikram every day in place of the vinyasa video.

The doctor was vague about the potential for the cyst to reoccur after surgery, as are most of the sources I have read. There is a chance of re-occurrence, but the doctor would not say the percentage. Apparently, “It Depends”. The recovery time is a few weeks in a brace with physical therapy to regain strength, and I can’t use my (dominant) hand during that time. I would probably do it if it was guaranteed to fix the problem for good.

Maybe I should give it another shot doing Bikram at home.

On the bright side, I have been very entertained as of late watching videos of people bashing their cysts with bibles on youtube 😉

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11202

Hi Bunni

😆 I have to admit, I haven’t yet ventured onto YouTube for bible cyst videos, but now you’ve made it a tad tempting.

There does seem to be great potential for practising the Bikram at home especially now that you may have another big(ger) purpose to doing so. If you’ve got the right resources** (audio, or audiovisual), the right mirror* and some adequate heating*** and especially humidification (so that you don’t have to heat as high) then you should have a better chance of enjoying it.

You could think about finding someone else who would practise with you say, once a week or more. And methinks the motivation of helping your wrist may also be a positive factor.

* The mirror doesn’t have to be enormous. How big was the one you were using?
** There are apps and CDs and videos. What were you using?
*** Insulation is essential with fan heaters to hold the heat in the room. I have no personal experience with infra red heaters at home but there is less need for enclosing the space. You can even find ceiling mounted panels that look attractive (plain) and that will heat you directly.

Hoping you can get some joy from the situation soon and get rid of your cyst with ease!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

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