Question
Hello
I was wondering if you could help with some problems....

I fell on some stairs a couple of years ago and the contusion runs laterally across my back, just under the hips where the sacrum is located....my muscles (the ones that run from the neck to the butt along the flanks of the spinal chord) were hurt, and for a while things were really sore and achy. Now there is a small sack or a lump/mass where the contusion was, and it feels like a mass of cartilage or liquid or something along those lines...
When I touch the lump or mass, it does not hurt but its just....there...It feels like a foreign object in my body...is it a cyst? is it scar tissue? Is it dangerous?
please help!! Thank you!

Answer
Dear David.

What you have described is probably to anything to worry about.  It is not a ball of cartilage, as cartilagenous structures are deep withing the spine not near the surface.  It is possibly a cyst, but more likely not. Even so, cysts are generally regarded as not a big deal...they can be aspirated with a needle to check what type of fluid is inside, and drained if problematic.

More likely scenario is a fat tumor or LIPOMA. The location you have indicated is a very common location for lipomas.  These are benign accumulations of fat that become sequestered into a small ball like area.  They are painless, generally soft and mobile...so you should be able to move it around with your fingers.  They are not cancerous and are pretty commonly found as people age.  They do not have to be directly related to a trauma either.

Now, the only way to make a definitive diagnosis is that have it looked at.  I would suggest that you have your general practice doctor look at it on your next appointment.  If you cannot move the tissue around with your fingers, or if you are having any discomfort, that would be an indication to have it looked at sooner.  Just have it checked out to be safe.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net