Wrist & hand Orthopaedic Rehabilitation
Ganglion Cyst
- A smooth, firm lump, usually on the back of the wrist
- Often painless
- May ache with heavy use
- Can change size over weeks
Quick answer
A ganglion cyst is a fluid-filled swelling arising from a joint capsule or tendon sheath, most often on the back of the wrist. It is benign, frequently painless, and often disappears on its own. Treatment is only needed when it causes pain or restricts movement.
Typical recovery
Often resolves on its own; may persist for years
A ganglion is a sac of thick, clear fluid that arises from a joint capsule or tendon sheath and pushes out beneath the skin. It is entirely benign — not a tumour, and it does not become one.
What it looks and feels like
A smooth, firm, rounded lump, most commonly on the back of the wrist and less often on the palm side or at the base of a finger. Many are painless and noticed only because they are visible. They can grow, shrink and occasionally disappear over weeks or months. Some ache with heavy use or at end-range wrist positions.
What actually needs treating
If it does not hurt and does not restrict movement, the reasonable option is to leave it alone. A substantial proportion resolve without any intervention.
Treatment is worth considering when it is painful, interferes with grip or wrist movement, or presses on a nerve.
How physiotherapy helps
Physiotherapy does not remove the cyst. It addresses what is around it: restoring wrist movement, strengthening grip, and modifying the loading that makes it symptomatic. Where the cyst is genuinely the problem, aspiration or surgical excision by a hand specialist is the route — recurrence after aspiration is common, and lower after surgery.
The old folk remedy
Ganglia were traditionally treated by striking them with a heavy book. This sometimes ruptures the cyst, frequently does not, and risks injuring the structures underneath. It is not recommended.
Medically reviewed by Pooja Tyagi, BPT, MPT, Orthopaedic Physiotherapy · Last reviewed September 2026