What are Ganglion Cysts?
Ganglion is a Greek word that means “a knot of tissue.” Basically, a ganglion cyst is a bump or mass that forms under the skin. They can occur at any joint or tendon sheath, but most often they appear on the back of the wrist or on the fingers. Ganglion cysts are probably the most common lumps that occur in the hand. Sometimes they are also called synovial hernias or synovial cysts because of their relationship to the synovial cavities in the joint. But more about this in a moment. Most often, ganglion cysts occur in the 25-45 year old age group, and they’re more common in women than they are in men. To understand them better, it might help to know a bit more about the joints themselves first. Joints are the places in the body where bones meet, allowing us to move in a variety of ways. The wrist joint is where both forearm bones (the ulna and the radius) meet the carpal bones, the bones that make up the back of our hands. But joints are more than just bones. They also contain a space o
