Mucoid Cysts in the Toes

Sometimes a small cyst or ganglion will form on the toes at the joint just behind the toe nail. If punctured a thick gelatinous fluid escapes. These are technically tiny toe ganglions but in this location they are more correctly knows as a mucoid cyst. They are frequently treated by a "puncture" and the injection of a bit of cortisone. Unfortunately they often recur. A more permanent correction involves the removal of a little bone.

Solving this problem will require a "hammertoe" surgery that can be done in the office with local anesthesia or the surgery center under local anesthesia with a bit of sedation. A surgical shoe will need to be worn for a week or two followed by a tennis shoe for another week or so.

This is a fluid filled cyst that balloons out from the underlying joint (much like the inner tube of a bicycle tire can squeeze out between the cracks of an old tire). Sometimes these pesky little things will go away by puncturing the cyst with a needle (of course, after anesthetizing the toe first!) and injecting a drop or tow of cortisone. Most of the time they come back after this kind of I&D (incision and drainage) and they need to be removed surgically. Even surgery can fail if you are not aggressive and take the entire cyst, down to the bone.