Wrist injury

[wyst]

Screwed up my wrist somehow...god I hate this. I did it about 2 weeks ago, and it's bothering me again now, despite the fact that I've taken it easy on the exercises that bothered it since then.

I don't know how I did it. I mostly work out my arms with dumbells and my bowflex machine which is basically cable pulls. I think it might have been in one of the bench exercises where you have to sort of reach back around and down to pull the weights up to get em in position.

Anyhow, it's my left wrist (I'm a rightie, luckily) and curls and reverse curls are now a bitch. When I do them at all I've been cutting the weight down by about 50% (basically whatever I can do without any twinges, then minus about 5 pounds). It's irritating though, cos sometimes it hurts just when I bend my hand back or twist it without any weight, like at work. I had a touch of carpal tunnel once years ago, and this is the same kind of niggling injury.

Grr.

Especially bothersome since my job is all at a keyboard.

Any suggestions on stretches etc to help it out? Supplements to speed the healing? Straps or whatever to prevent this from happening again? How long would you expect this to take to heal? Do you guys wear straps or wrap up your wrists or whatever?

Thanks for any help you can give. This drives me bonkers!

Wyst

 

[FitFossil]

Youch! Put an ice pack on your wrist for 20 min several times a day. This helps with the inflammation and healing. You may want to see a doctor if it doesn't improve.

My wrists are definitely my weakest link, very tiny. I use wrist straps when I'm working back or any exercise where my grip might give out before the muscle I'm working (on my heaviest sets only). With time, my grip has gotten stronger and this helps protect my wrists.

 

[wyst]

Thanks FF...I thought mine were getting stronger (they definitely got bigger, and there's even some vascularity around em -- which freaks out my mom, lol), but I guess not strong enough.

What kind of straps do you use?

Wyst

PS: And by the way, peeps, where is tha love? An injury thread with only one answer all day long?





Wyst

 

[ann]

Thanks FF...I thought mine were getting stronger (they definitely got bigger, and there's even some vascularity around em -- which freaks out my mom, lol), but I guess not strong enough.

What kind of straps do you use?

Wyst

PS: And by the way, peeps, where is tha love? An injury thread with only one answer all day long?





Wyst

As soon as you get rid of the hottie eating the choc/pickle/poopy......we'll talk about tha love

 

[wyst]

Seriously, you think it's because of the icon that I've only gotten one tip? That's kind of irritating.

This damned wrist is seriously bothering me...I have been icing it when I can (thanks FF). I actually had been doing that already.

I'm kind of disappointed if that's actually the reason I'm not getting any help. I don't want to sound whiny, but I post on a lot of other people's threads where I think I might be able to help or offer some sympathy or something, and I'm kind of irked that the first real problem I have I get dozens of hits but only one serious answer, and no other suggestions or tips or whatever?

It's not like the picture is actually offensive, is it? Or were you just kidding? I can't tell, honestly...maybe I'm just having an off day?

Wyst

 

[wyst]

Heh. I think I was just getting paranoid. It's been a looooong week or two, and I'm "gettin' hormonal," as my mom would say. I wasn't flaming you Ann, just worried that you might not just be goofing around. I assume you were -- Sorry! *embarrassed.*

I do wrist curls (that's what I call em), where I sit down on my bench and rest my forearms on my thighs and curl, bending only at the wrist. I do these both palm up and palm down. But I guess I've been doing fewer of them since I got my bowflex (playing with the new toy, you know). I probably should do more again.

I've never used any kind of straps. Is there any mystery or science to them? Kinds to get and kinds to avoid? My typical learning curve is to buy the wrong kind of equipment like twice before I get the right kind, and I'd really rather not screw up my wrist further figuring this one out, since I rely on my typing for my living (I'm an editor/writer).

Any ideas, anybody?

In the meanwhile, I'll look for another cute yet less picklesome icon. That's not me, btw, except in my dreams...



Wyst

 

[SteelWeaver]

Sorry Wrist, er, ... I mean, Wyst (heh heh)

I don't really know much about injuries, except that they HURT when you get them, and they taking forf***in'ever to heal, so that's why I didn't look at this thread.

I'd probably say to drop the forearm-specific work for now. Forearms get quite a lot of work through other lifts, and if you feel guilty or something about not doing forearm work for a couple of weeks just grip the bar harder on bench or deads or whatever. That way you'll still be kind of working them, but you won't have to bend them with wrist curls etc.

Try it - it burns like crazy! GRIP the bar as HARD as you can the whole way through the set. The only drawback is they tend to fail before pecs or whatever you're working. Oh well, you could do it on one set out of 3??

I thought the woman was eating a chocolate - it was driving me crazy, but that's not why I didn't visit this thread.

 

[ann]

Wyst....I am a horrible tease....... Love the picture, and leave it up. I too , had to stop, and wonder if it was you ( wish someone would of said that about my avatar ) he he.........

Wrap your wrist.....will help you immensly dahling Maybe stay away from straight bar for away......seems to help me when mine act up.

 

[wyst]

Thanks ann -- Spatts calmed me down, lol. I mostly just need sleep, I think (see my last post on the quitting thread).

But I still wonder, what do you guys use for wraps and straps? This is not anything I have ever had to do before.

Wyst

 

[FitFossil]

Somebody posted a nice picture of wrist straps on another thread but I can't find it. You can see them here

http://www.weights.com/wrist.html