Nobody really knows why they occur, but every now and then people get a weird little bump on their wrist or ankle that feels sort of like a swollen node, but it’s not.  It’s a cyst, it’s a Ganglion Cyst, also called a “Bible Bump.”

Wikipedia says that it’s likely a valve problem with the joint – fluid can get out of the joint but it can’t get back in, forming the cyst.  They say the fluid inside is like synovial fluid (like egg yolk), but it’s a little thicker.

The cysts mainly appear on the wrist; both the top side of the wrist and the underside.  I actually have one right now, which is what led me to the research and this subsequent post.  I want it to go away, but since it doesn’t hurt I don’t want to go to any extreme measures to remove it.

“Bible Bump.”  Why is it called that?  Legend has it that people used to used to use the largest book in their house (usually the family Bible) to bash the cyst to get rid of it.  See?

The word “ganglion” means a mass of tissues. I guess a joint is a mass of tissues, so to have a cyst on it would make the name make sense.

Incidentally, there are lots of “home remedy” suggestions out there, mostly involving different plants and herbs (Hong Hua, Sutherlandia frutescens, Job’s tears, etc.) and hitting the cyst with different heavy instruments (books, coffee mugs, rubber mallets). I think I’ll just leave mine alone for now.

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