Many people suffer from both ganglions and generalized pain in the wrists. The exercises below are designed to help reduce both of these things. These exercises come from personal experience, where my own ganglion cyst in my right wrist has shrunk, and is no longer painful after having done these exercises religiously for a month. I avoided surgery with them (cancelled my appointment)!
Exercises:
Some Background:
In my own personal instance (it may be different for you), I’ve had a wrist ganglion for many years, and about 5 months ago it started to get significantly painful. This was in a period of my life where I was largely inactive and working too many hours at a desk (without going to the gym or practicing yoga or anything to negate the effect of desk work).
I had booked an appointment with the surgeon to have it operated on. At the same time, I started doing these exercises every day for at least 5 minutes. The exercises definitely push the boundaries of comfort, but knowing that the pain from the cyst is generally from pressure on surrounding structures, this is one instance where I would give that limit a little nudge. My theory (not supported by the literature…just FYI) was that by moving the joint through as much range of motion I could, I would gradually reclaim more range. My theory also extended to the idea that by consistently pushing on the cyst by moving the joints of my wrist, it would gradually get smaller by the pressure created.
Beyond ganglion cysts, these exercises are great for optimizing wrist health. Often our forearms and wrists are quite weak and this work will gradually change that too.
Just to be crystal clear, these exercises helped me tremendously. This does not, however, constitute adequate proof that they will work for everyone (or even anyone else). I wish it did. But it doesn’t. If you try them out, make sure you’re consistent and persistent with your practice. Give it a good go! After a good month of practice, make sure you don’t just stop – keep doing them every couple of days for good maintenance.
Oh, and also one more note – this didn’t get rid of the ganglion I have – it is still there. It’s just smaller now and no longer impedes my every day function, and no longer hurts.
Let me know if this helps 🙂
For more therapeutic movement work, check out the foot-health online workshop I put together for you.
Kim thompson says
I hope to don’t mind if I refer my client to this post as they are having increased pain in their right wrist due to a ganglion due to increased school work and decreased activity.
I think I will have to start doing these exercises as well due to wrist pain from work and crocheting!
Drew Hume says
Yeah – go for it! I hope they help! I’ve also found that manual therapy of the extrinsic extensors to be very beneficial too, personally. 🙂
Mark says
I was Dx with a ganglion cyst recently that has been aching/painful for the past few months. Already feeling a little better after following these wonderful exercises. Thank you for sharing!
Drew Hume says
So glad to hear that it’s helping, Mark! Hopefully with some repetition that feeling will last longer and longer. Something else that I also have found, since writing this post, is that hanging work is really great to add into the mix too. Just holding on and hanging for as long as I can.
Caci says
My doctor also suggested to make exercise in order to strengthen the wrist and eventually make it stronger thus the ganglion started to get smaller but at the same time i was taking antiinflammatory tablets.(ipubrufen) to reduce the inflammation of the wrist and to make it stop producing the liquid that was making the ganglion to grow. The exercise was to put my hand with the wrist straight on the edge of the table and to go up and down several times a day x 10 min.
mark stanbridge says
Hey man
when you say about extrinsic extensors, do you workigon them with say a spiky masaage ball would that work?
Drew Hume says
Hey Mark,
Yeah a spiky massage ball should work just fine – I personally prefer one that’s not spiky, but they’ll all pretty much do the trick.
mark stanbridge says
thankyou man, mine is causing me real pain in the forearm and around the wrist area, but I’ll keep on with the exercises and ball work.
Also, I spoke to a practitioner who as had success with this blend, with her clients:
“I’d start with Copaiba and FRankincense applied topically in fractionated coconut oil daily – Its had a great success rate for my clients”
So i’m going to give that blend a go, if it works i’ll update you
Lavelle Patterson says
Just wanted to say thank you so much, did these excercises a couple of times a day for 3 days and my cyst actually disappeared! Can now practise pain free!
Have had the cyst for a year or 2 so could not believe it.
Drew Hume says
I’m so glad to read this! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with it, Lavelle.
Jennifer says
I was directed to this post/video by @yogadetour. I was recently diagnosed as having a dorsal carpal ganglion cyst. Curious to know if your cyst(s) is/are on the back of your wrist or if it’s a volar wrist ganglion cyst and if that would affect the choice of exercises outlined in the video? I find being in wrist extension with body weight (e.g., being on hands and knees or in plank pose) to be uncomfortable/painful.
Drew Hume says
Hey Jennifer! Sorry to hear about your ganglion cyst. Mine too is dorsal and right in the carpals at a point where wrist extension was painful for me too. Even though it was really uncomfortable, I found these exercises helped. Since I wrote this, I’ve had a few flare-ups and then it settles down again – I can’t say for sure if the exercises are the cause for it to go down or not (since I’ve not designed an experiment around it), but each time it flares up I double-down on these exercises AND hanging (that’s an extra piece that I use now too – hanging as much as I can), and it goes down. That’s at least anecdotal support. I’ll be interested to hear if you use them and if they help.