Does pain in your wrist make pushups difficult and you’ve now noticed a little rubbery lump in your wrist?

The lump may be tender if you press on it.

It’s not rock hard; it gives a little when you press on it, but it’s not super soft, either.

What is this strange painful lump in your wrist that messes up your pushups?

“The most common cause of a lump in the wrist is a small fluid filled cyst called a ganglion cyst,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, medical director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers nationally, and author of “The Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution.”

“The good news is that it is quite benign and reasonable to ignore unless it is annoying you enough to need treatment.”

In other words, it’s not cancer and cannot turn into cancer. It also will not cause local destruction. It stays the same size if it’s there to stay.

Ganglion cyst. Shutterstock/girl-think-position

Treatment for a lump in your wrist is something you should consider if it’s interfering with pushups.

I have a ganglion cyst and I must do pushups while grasping dumbbells or pushup handles on the floor.

This is no big deal and actually allows for greater range of motion. However, a ganglion cyst can also cause pain when doing bench dips due to the positioning of the hands.

Dr. Teitelbaum says that “treatment includes putting a needle in to drain the cyst or surgically removing it. Recurrence is not uncommon with either of these options.

“The best option? Ignore it (as long as it does not cause pain). It may go away spontaneously.

“If you need to do something, I would begin with having the doctor simply put a needle in to see if it can be drained (depending on how thick the fluid inside the cyst is). I would save surgery as a last resort.”

Dr. Teitelbaum is a board certified internist and nationally known expert in the fields of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep and pain.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.