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Movable Lump Appeared Above Ankle. X-ray Done. What Could This Be?
Posted on
Fri, 22 Feb 2013
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Fri, 22 Feb 2013
Answered on
Thu, 14 Mar 2013
Last reviewed on
Question : I have a lump above my left ankle. At first I thought it was a simple bruise from gym exercise because it appeared "suddendly". I went to a walk-in clinic, which then sent me to get it x-rayed. They haven't been able to figure out what it is even after the x-ray, except to tell me that it's not fluid, and that the next step is an MRI.
The bump is size of a walnut and I can move it around somewhat. It's not painful except if I do move it around and "poke" it. I've had the lump for close to a month now. At the beginning, I swear that it grew larger over the period of the day, and smaller overnight towards the morning. It now seems to have stabilized to a one size throughout the day, and may actually be smaller than what it was at the very begninng.
The bump is size of a walnut and I can move it around somewhat. It's not painful except if I do move it around and "poke" it. I've had the lump for close to a month now. At the beginning, I swear that it grew larger over the period of the day, and smaller overnight towards the morning. It now seems to have stabilized to a one size throughout the day, and may actually be smaller than what it was at the very begninng.
Hello!
Thank you for the query.
As this lump is located close to the joint and has appeared suddenly, most likely it is a ganglion cyst. This is some kind of joint herniation and contains clear mucinous fluid. It is benign lesion however in vary rare cases it can become malignant.
Other possible reason of such lump is lipoma, also benign lesion.
Both conditions can be easily diagnosed with soft tissues ultrasound. Surgical removal is most probable way to get rid of it.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Thank you for the query.
As this lump is located close to the joint and has appeared suddenly, most likely it is a ganglion cyst. This is some kind of joint herniation and contains clear mucinous fluid. It is benign lesion however in vary rare cases it can become malignant.
Other possible reason of such lump is lipoma, also benign lesion.
Both conditions can be easily diagnosed with soft tissues ultrasound. Surgical removal is most probable way to get rid of it.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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