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Fell Down And Noticed Lump On Wrist. What Could It Be?

Posted on Fri, 23 Nov 2012

Question: Hi, my 7 year old daughter fell yesterday and now there is a lump on her wrist. She can move her hand just the same, it is not swollen and she says it does not really hurt. What could that be?
Thank you,
XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Saurabh Gupta (28 minutes later)

Hello,

Thanks for posting your query.

It's interesting to know that there is no pain. A lump that appears following a fall is usually accompanied by other symptoms of inflammation - swelling, local rise of temperature and pain.

Presuming this lump wasn't there before, in all possibilities it is related to the fall / take anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen pediatric tablets. Restrict her from lifting and rest well.

If the swelling increases and range of motion become painful, consult an orthopaedic nearby for a detailed examination. She may get the X-ray of the area affected under his/her guidance to rule out any fracture.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if you have any more concerns

Wishing her good health...

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Saurabh Gupta (55 minutes later)

Thank you for your answer. Now that I have done some more talking to her and done some research on the Internet, I think that it more likely is a ganglionic cyct (not sure of spelling). She started doing gymnastics this fall and probably has overstressed her wrists (she loves doing it too much) and falling just made this acute. However my question is, if this turns out to be a cyct, can she continue with gymnastics? It is just for fun, it is not cometative. I read that this problem is quite common for gymnasts. I assume she should use some special wrist support. Also, is it true that this king of cyct in children tends to go away on its own?
Thanks again,
XXXXXXX
P.S. We will go see her doctor as soon as we can. This is just to calm down mommy's worries for now. :)

Answered by Dr. Saurabh Gupta (6 hours later)

Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.

It might be ganglion cyst or tumor over wrist and it might just a co-incidence that you noticed this lump after the injury.

It is important to have this type of lump checked by your doctor to ensure it is simply a ganglion cyst.

While most lumps around the wrist and hand are ganglion cysts , there are other conditions that have different treatments. Other type of tumors such as a lipoma , infections, carpal bossing (bone spur), and other conditions can cause lumps around the wrist.

To know the exact cause, examination of lump is required. We would also need to run some tests like a complete blood count, and Fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC) may be required. It is only then that we would know the exact cause of the swelling.

Do not worry, if it is ganglion cyst, she can continue with gymnastics.

Sometimes, wrist ganglion cysts go away with no treatment, most of the time they linger around or even grow larger.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if you have any more concerns.

Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.

Wishing you good health....
Regards.

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar