Excision of a ganglion at Nuffield Health at St Bartholomew's Hospital

Ganglions are lumps under the skin caused by leaking fluid from your joints or tendons. They often occur near your wrist joint, or sometimes on your foot or ankle. Although ganglions are not serious, they can be uncomfortable and it is relatively straightforward to have them removed through surgery.

What happens during excision of a ganglion?

During your operation, which will use one of several possible anaesthetic techniques and takes around 30 minutes, your surgeon will make a cut over the ganglion. They will then separate and remove the ganglion from any tendons, blood vessels and nerves.

Recovery from excision of a ganglion

You’ll normally return home on the same day, although you will probably ache for a few days and experience some stiffness around the site of the ganglion. Frequent and gentle exercise will help you to recover quickly, but do check with your doctor. In some cases ganglions can return.