Sprained Wrist can wreak havoc on your exercise regime, especially bodyweight exercises like push-ups and planks. But that doesn’t have to signal the end of your strength training altogether!
Use of a wrist support can help ensure safe strength training without aggravating an existing sprain. Here’s how you can safely get back into the gym.
Rest
Injury during exercise can be both frustrating and discouraging, forcing you to put a pause on your fitness goals until your injury heals. But if you use smart techniques and avoid overstraining the wrist area too much during workouts, returning to regular fitness activities shouldn’t exacerbate an already existing injury further.
A wrist sprain occurs when ligaments, the tough bands of tissue that connect bones in the wrists, become stretched or torn due to excessive stress such as falling onto an outstretched hand or playing sports activities. Such injuries often arise as a result of excessive force being applied directly onto an outstretched hand, often during situations like falling.
Pain from sprains often centers on the outer part of your wrist, limiting mobility. To prevent further injury and delay further deterioration, wear a brace or splint during exercise as this will keep the area stable and relieve pressure off of any additional stressors; alternatively you could also try icing it intermittently to reduce swelling and ease the discomfort.
As soon as it’s safe for you to resume exercise, it is essential that you warm-up properly. Doing so can strengthen the muscles in your wrist while improving joint mobility, so start slowly with gentle, low-impact exercises before gradually increasing intensity and duration as your wrist heals.
When treating a sprained wrist, bodyweight exercises may be best as these will put less strain on the injured limb. Kyra Williams, a fitness professional suggests wearing a weighted vest or opting for weight machines instead of dumbbells to perform weighted exercises.
Ice
There are 20 ligaments connecting your wrist’s eight small carpal bones to two ends of long bones in your arm that are naturally strong and flexible. A sprain occurs when one or more of these ligaments is injured, which may result in pain, swelling, bruising, difficulty with wrist movements and weakness in strength – it can range from mild to severe depending on how stretched or torn they become.
At the initial stages of a wrist sprain, using ice can help to reduce inflammation and swelling. Apply a cold compress or wrap to your wrist for 20 minutes each time several times each day until symptoms subside. A medical ice pack is the optimal option; otherwise use something such as a washcloth soaked with water or even paper towel as a temporary alternative. Elevating it off a pillow or stack of books will also help alleviate symptoms faster.
Heating too soon after an injury may exacerbate swelling and delay recovery. Heat therapy may help increase blood flow later during healing; however, you should wait until both pain and swelling have subsided before starting any heat therapy therapy sessions.
Physical Therapist Lauren Lobert, PT, OMPT, CSCS suggests using bodyweight exercises that won’t put any additional strain on your injured wrist. She suggests planks, lunges, walking lunges, Bulgarian split squats with lower weight loads than usual to avoid additional stress on your wrist as well as triceps extensions, biceps curls and forearm pronation using less resistance for maximum results.
Compression
Your wrist ligaments are tough and flexible, yet can stretch out too far, leading to a sprain. Most commonly this affects the scapholunate ligament which connects your scaphoid and lunate bones – this typically causes minor injuries but severe ones could require surgical repair of a complete tear of this ligament. Your doctor can advise how best to treat your injuries depending on their severity.
If your sprain is severe, your healthcare provider may advise using a splint or cast to immobilize it and reduce sudden movement that could aggravate it and speed up recovery time. Wearing wrist supports while exercising can also help alleviate pressure on injuries while increasing circulation and speeding recovery time.
Once swelling has decreased, heat treatment is often an effective solution to relieve pain from sprained wrists. A medical-grade heating pad or warm compress may do the trick. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), available without a valid prescription can also help reduce inflammation and pain.
Bruising occurs when blood is directed to an injured area to flush away waste products as part of its healing process. Compression therapy may help reduce bruising by forcing injured tissues against your skin for compression.
Compression socks or stockings may also prove helpful during exercise, providing gentle pressure to reduce vibrations from running which could further injure wrists and ankles. Compression socks also work to relieve the pain associated with shin splints – the gentle pressure provided by these types of socks helps ease back into working out more comfortably.
Elevation
Elevation of an injured wrist injury is the first step to healing it quickly and pain-free. Elevating will reduce swelling, reduce discomfort and speed recovery time; plus it improves blood flow to help prevent blood clots forming in the area. For maximum effectiveness, try keeping it elevated as much as possible during both daytime activities and even sleeptime.
Sprained wrists typically result from an abrupt twist or impact, such as from falling, sports activities or lifting weights that are too heavy for your body. Although this type of injury usually requires rest, ice and compression to recover properly, maintaining some level of fitness can still be possible by using supports, restricting repetitive movements, and adopting modified exercises which won’t aggravate the injury.
If you can continue with a regular exercise regimen, it is essential that you monitor how your wrist feels during and after each workout. Any significant aggravation could indicate overdoing it; in such an instance, reduce training intensity until symptoms diminish.
As your sprained wrist heals, gradually increase the weight you lift over time. However, if it becomes impossible for you to continue lifting weights with it or the pain becomes intense then medical advice should be sought as soon as possible.
Strengthening
Sprained wrists don’t mean having to abandon exercise altogether – with some adaptations, they can still provide quality workouts while supporting their injury with a splint or wrap. This can help avoid further damage while speeding recovery time.
An effective exercise program must allow for full range of motion in all movements; otherwise, your muscles won’t reach their full potential. Therefore, incorporating exercises that cover all of the injured wrist’s movements – as well as hand, wrist and arm movements on that side.
Resisted Forearm Pronation is an effective and straightforward exercise to strengthen forearm muscle groups that support wrist joint health during recovery from sprained wrist. Additionally, this move can be utilized when performing other exercises requiring full range-of-motion like pull-ups and push-ups.
Start in a seated position with legs apart, place your affected wrist on your thigh so it is in front of your knee, hold an exercise band end in both hands, step on it to stretch your forearm, then slowly rotate in and out over 2 counts and 5 counts to strengthen both wrists and forearms during recovery from hand sprains. Repeat 8-12 times to gain maximum benefit!
People frequently injure themselves while exercising, particularly in winter when it’s easy to slip and fall on ice. A sprained wrist can serve as an uncomfortable reminder that extra care should be taken on slippery surfaces and awareness should be maintained of your surroundings.
