What is Ganglion

You have a ganglion. A ganglion is a swelling that is filled with thick jelly like material. They usually occur on the back of the wrist but they do occur near other joints or near tendons. They usually occur in young adults. It is not known why they occur. In children, ganglions usually disappear without any treatment. This can also happen in adults.

The Operation

You can be given a local or a general anaesthetic. The choice depends partly on which you prefer, and partly on what your Surgeon thinks is best. Having a general anaesthetic means that you will be completely asleep during the operation. Having a local anaesthetic means that you will be awake during the operation, but will not feel any pain in your foot because the area of the operation will be numbed with an injection. A cut is made in the skin that is at least as wide as the lump. The ganglion is then removed. The skin wound is then closed up with stitches. By having the operation on your foot you must realise that:

• You will have a scar instead of the ganglion.
• The ganglion will come back in 1 out of 5 patients.
• If you have pain in your foot, removing your ganglion may not cure this.