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Family Medicine (Expert Forum)
Growth on Hand
Questions in the Family Medicine forum are answered by Dr. J.M. Keyes. Topics covered include general health issues, adolescence, babies, child health, eating disorders, fitness, immunizations and vaccines, infectious diseases, medical tests and procedures, and senior health.
Growth on Hand
by magee, Jan 07, 2003 12:00AM
I have a "growth?" at the base of my finger.. where it bends/meets the top of my palm.
It is under the skin and not in an area that would be rubbed while writing. ( not a usual callus)
I work in an office, not a lot of manual labor.
It is a little smaller then the size of a dime.
It is very hard, like having a rock under my skin.
It only hurts if pressed.. example when driving with hands against steering wheel.
It developed in the past few months and seems to be getting bigger.
A few questions:
1)What could it be??
2) Should I be concerned enough to see a doctor?
If this was in another part of my body I'd be more concerned.
3) If I do decide to go to a doctor,what type of doctor should I go to?
It is under the skin and not in an area that would be rubbed while writing. ( not a usual callus)
I work in an office, not a lot of manual labor.
It is a little smaller then the size of a dime.
It is very hard, like having a rock under my skin.
It only hurts if pressed.. example when driving with hands against steering wheel.
It developed in the past few months and seems to be getting bigger.
A few questions:
1)What could it be??
2) Should I be concerned enough to see a doctor?
If this was in another part of my body I'd be more concerned.
3) If I do decide to go to a doctor,what type of doctor should I go to?
Doctor's Answer
by Forum-M.D.-DT, Jan 07, 2003 12:00AM
Thank you for visiting the Family Practice Forum.
It sounds like what you are dealing with here is a "ganglion cyst". This, essentially is a collection of fluid around one of the tendons of the fingers. Many times these go away on their own. In the old days, doctors would smack them with a book to try to "break them". This actually worked a fair amount of the time. I am not suggesting that you try this, by any means, however, now doctors may try to insert a needle to draw out the fluid, unfortunately they quite commonly will recur after this simple procedure.
So, what to do?
Well, have your family doctor look at it. He/she may tell you to just "wait" and see what happens. Another possibility is that you could see a hand surgeon. In my experience, most people do not go the route of actually having these "surgically" removed unless they are QUITE bothersome.
I hope this helps.
It sounds like what you are dealing with here is a "ganglion cyst". This, essentially is a collection of fluid around one of the tendons of the fingers. Many times these go away on their own. In the old days, doctors would smack them with a book to try to "break them". This actually worked a fair amount of the time. I am not suggesting that you try this, by any means, however, now doctors may try to insert a needle to draw out the fluid, unfortunately they quite commonly will recur after this simple procedure.
So, what to do?
Well, have your family doctor look at it. He/she may tell you to just "wait" and see what happens. Another possibility is that you could see a hand surgeon. In my experience, most people do not go the route of actually having these "surgically" removed unless they are QUITE bothersome.
I hope this helps.
