Hygroma: is a lump on the wrist dangerous?

A lump on the wrist that develops over several weeks and causes sharp pain when moving the hand, greatly frightens patients who assume the worst diagnoses. However, this tumor-like formation is completely incapable of degenerating into a malignant tumor, and the danger of a growing bump on the wrist lies only in the likely pressure on the nerves and blood vessels during its rapid and strong growth. However, if the lump on the wrist grows rapidly or interferes with the patient's pain and discomfort, the hygroma should be removed.

Why does a lump appear on the wrist, symptoms of hygroma

Hygroma on the wrist, which patients usually describe as a lump on the wrist, is a benign tumor, a special kind of cyst. Inside this cyst contains a mixture of fibrin and serous fluid, outwardly resembling a transparent yellowish jelly-like mass. The capsular wall of such a cyst is formed from connective tissue, but the cells are degeneratively changed. Actually, the reason for the formation of hygroma is considered to be the degeneration of connective tissue cells into two types – fusiform  and spherical, some of which form the wall of the capsule, while others release fluid into the intercellular space. That is why, if at least a fragment of tissue with altered cells remains after the removal of the hygroma, the recurrence of the disease is inevitable, and conservative treatment is completely ineffective.

Most often, a bump on the wrist occurs in young women, while scientists do not exclude a hereditary predisposition to the degeneration of connective tissue. The provocative moment usually becomes a high load on the wrist or its repeated trauma – hygroma is often called the disease of tennis players and pianists. Most often, a bump on the wrist develops & nbsp; on the back of the joint, sometimes found on the palmar side, as well as on the hand and even on the fingers.

Symptoms that owners of a lump on the wrist usually present with and worry about are described as follows:

• the tumor is clearly demarcated from the surrounding tissues, mobile under the skin, it can be both hard and elastic;
• when pressing on the hygroma, severe pain occurs;
• if there is no pressure, the hygroma may cause dull pain after a strong load on the joint or be asymptomatic;
• the skin over the hygroma turns red, rough and flaky.

Hygroma never resolves itself and does not degenerate into a malignant formation, it can develop rapidly or grow gradually.

Treatment of a bump on the wrist and possible prognosis

For a long time, they tried to treat a bump on the wrist conservatively, using the most incredible methods of dealing with this formation. The hygroma was kneaded, crushed, liquid was removed from it by puncture and sclerosing drugs were injected, therapeutic mud, anti-inflammatory ointments were applied to it, and physiotherapy was applied. However, the bump on the wrist recurred in almost 90% of cases, until scientists figured out the peculiarity of the reborn & nbsp; hygroma cells start the process of cyst formation again. Today, the only effective method of dealing with hygroma of the wrist joint is surgical removal, and with a thorough excision of tissues so that even a tiny fragment of tissue does not remain, otherwise the bump on the wrist will recur.

Thus, surgery is necessary if the hygroma is growing rapidly, if it causes severe pain and restricts movement in the joint, if the lump on the wrist sticks out too unaesthetically. Today, many doctors practice endoscopic removal of hygroma, such an operation significantly reduces the patient's rehabilitation time.