10 Things Doctors Wish You Knew About Ganglion Cysts

What is that weird lump?

I woke up one day last summer with a lump on my wrist. I thought: Hmm, that’s weird. Being a bit (OK a lot) of a worrier, I panicked.

Could it be cancer?

Let’s face it, mysterious bumps and lumps on your skin are troubling—here’s a guide to 11 such troubling growths. The lump started out the size of a marble, but within days, it was almost as large as a SuperBall. That’s when I hightailed it to an orthopedist. The specialist pressed on it, bent my wrist a few times, and told me it was a ganglion cyst—a benign fluid-filled lump that grows on the joints or tendons. I was relieved—and surprised that I knew so little about these incredibly common growths. To make sure you know how to spot and treat one, we asked Dennis Cardone, MD, Chief of Primary Care Sports Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York to share the essential facts about ganglion cysts.