Alice,
A couple of months ago I developed a hard, bony growth on my instep. I noticed that the top of
my foot was hurting, and when I took my shoe off, there was a red lump the size of a quarter.
(It's not red all the time, just from rubbing against the shoe.) A friend of mine who is a nurse said
that it's probably a ganglion cyst and the best thing to do would be to, and I quote, "hit it with
something really hard," like a dictionary, or a hammer. It should break up immediately, she told
me. She hasn't seen it, by the way--this was over the phone.
I'm surprised that she thinks it's a cyst, because it's awfully hard--I would have just thought that it
was a bone spur. What do you think? And is smacking a cyst with a dictionary really the way to
go?
Thanks so much for your help.
—Another Alice
Dear Another Alice,
In the old days, smashing fluid-filled cysts with a dictionary, hammer, fax machine, coconut (most
favored by Hawaiians), and other heavy objects were acceptable treatment methods. Today,
advances in medical technology offer more accurate and less painful procedures to deal with cysts
— if that's what is on your foot. The first step is to pick
up the phone (just the receiver)
and make an appointment with your primary health care provider, or a podiatrist, for proper
diagnosis. The growth on your foot could also be a bunion or a plantar wart, and direct
observation of it by a trained professional will be the fastest route to elimination of your pain and
puzzlement.
- Alice
Related Q&As
- What is a sebaceous cyst?
- Bunion surgery — heels a thing of the past?
Go Ask Alice! is not an emergency or instant response service. If you are in an urgent situation, please click here to view a list of 24 hour support services and hotlines.
Should I smash my cyst with a hammer?
