Question
I have had a cyst on my left wrist, which is my dominant hand, since I was 11. At 12, I went to a doctor because it caused me discomfort, not pain, but she told me it was only a cyst and it would go away with time. It did, in fact, go away after a few years but it came back when I was 18.

Now at 22, I experience pain in my wrist daily and occasionally it travels up to my shoulder. I feels like pressure all around my wrist but most of the pain seems to come from the area that surrounds the cyst in the middle of my wrist. I tried to put it in a brace to keep it stationary for a while but that made it hurt worse and when I took the brace off it was very stiff and painful.

When I write my wrist is very stiff. Being a student I write often, sometimes for long periods of time, so I usually have to stop and stretch out my hand before I can continue. I find that my index, middle, and ring fingers tend to stiffen up as well. At one point I tried to squeeze around my wrist to relieve the pressure and my wrist popped. This did relieve the pressure when it would stiffen up so I started doing it more often but lately when I do it, it causes pain so I try not to do it.

What do you think could be the problem and how could I fix it? I am thinking of scheduling an appointment with my primary physician or should I try to find a specialist instead?

Answer
Dear Frankie,

There are very common cysts that have a tendency to form in the wrist area. We use to call them "Bible Cysts", because in the past, people would take their good 'ole family bible and smack the wrist hard, causing the cyst to burst open, often with immediate relief.  The cyst itself can cause pain, but it can also apply pressure to nerves and other tissues, causing additional pain.  The problem is that they (the cysts) tend to repeat themselves. In other words, even when they are broken or burst, or even after they are removed surgically, they have a tendency to come back.

I am making an assumption that this is what you are experiencing, but there is no way that I can tell for sure without further evaluation. I would highly recommend that you seek out the services of an orthopedic doctor that specializes in hands and wrists.  Your primary care doctor is not going to have the answers that you are looking for.

Other possible causes of wrist pain include carpal tunnel syndrome, verious types of arthritic conditions/autoimmune conditions, tendinosis, ulnar entrapment syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, cervical radiculopathy, etc.

I hope that this gives you some ideas of where to go so that you can begin to better understand what is happening.

Good luck!
Keith Biggs, DC
http://www.eastmesachiropractor.com