No matter where your injury occurred – everyday activities or sports – rest is often the best remedy for wrist sprains. Allowing swelling to subside, pain to abate, and ligaments to return to their full range of motion will speed healing significantly.
However, various exercises can help increase strength and mobility in the wrists. Before engaging in any additional stretching or physical therapy exercises without consulting with healthcare professional first.
Rest
Immediate rest following injury is vitally important in order to prevent further soft tissue damage and initiate repair and regeneration processes in injured cells. An initial response of inflammation will include vasodilation (widening of blood vessels), increased blood flow, swelling, pain sensations and vasodilatation (widening of blood vessels).
Exercise during this initial stage of injury will likely impede healing and regeneration of injured cells and tissue, so it is crucial that you adhere as closely as possible to any rest and rehabilitation guidelines recommended by clinicians.
As part of your treatment for an injury, it may also be wise to reduce exercise intensity and volume until your body heals itself. Your clinician can provide recommendations for an alternate exercise program or provide advice about how you should modify existing exercises to avoid further injury.
As you return to working out, make sure you exercise other parts of your body to offset those injured by making sure to reduce load on injured muscles or joints and speed recovery times.
Consider, if an exercise hurts, it might not be right for you – listen to your body! Pain signals overexertion which can lead to further injuries; therefore, by respecting your body and avoiding activities which initially caused injury, you may help it heal faster while decreasing future risk of harm. If the pain persists then seek medical advice; better safe than sorry!
Ice
After experiencing an injury such as a sprain or pulled muscle, your body activates what’s known as an inflammatory response to help promote healing and reduce pain and swelling. Ice is one effective method for helping minimize this reaction within 48 hours post injury; when applied within this window it can contract blood vessels to stop internal bleeding while also numbing the area reducing discomfort. Use an ice pack, bag of frozen vegetables or cold compress (wrapped with cloth to avoid skin damage) every 15-20 minutes on and 10 minutes off throughout the day for best results.
Ice therapy is often superior to heat in treating most injuries and pain, whether used alone or as part of RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation). Heat can actually worsen injuries by inducing inflammation and increased fluid circulation to injured areas – slowing healing processes in many cases.
Routine icing may also impede tissue repair by delaying protein synthesis necessary to heal injured cells in your body. While using ice may ease swelling and pain after an injury, excessive usage could further delay healing and lead to further muscle damage. It’s best to consult a physical therapist regarding any symptoms so they can develop an individual treatment plan tailored specifically for you.
Compression
Pushing yourself physically can help enhance your athletic talents, but over-exerting can cause injury and requires taking time off when pain sets in. Compression techniques can aid the healing process and speed recovery back to doing what you love faster, such as clothing sleeves or gloves that compress, to reduce swelling and increase blood circulation and help muscle recovery, prevent lymph fluid build-up from cells and tissues and boost oxygenation during workouts – ultimately improving performance.
Elevation
Wrist sprains are graded from mild to severe depending on how severely a ligament has been stretched or torn. Grade 1 wrist sprains involve minimal ligament stretch and can often be treated at home with rest, wrist splinting, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
For grades 2 and 3 sprains, your doctor may suggest using splinting to limit movement and stabilize the joint. A grade 3 sprain is considered severe and should be treated immediately to avoid long-term wrist pain; you will require stronger NSAIDs as well as possibly surgery in severe cases.
Elevating an injured wrist is also key in order to decrease swelling. When possible, place it higher than your heart; this helps draw fluid away from the wrist and decrease its volume. Avoid immersing it in hot water bath or using a heat pad as this will increase blood flow to the area and make its symptoms worse.
As your wrist heals, it is also essential that you avoid activities which might further injure it. Engaging in too much activity too soon can re-injure its ligament and delay recovery; such activities include basketball, tennis and golf that involve repetitive wrist movement. Warm up and stretch before engaging in any physical activity for maximum effectiveness.
If your symptoms do not improve within 48 hours or if your sprain is more serious, visit Performance Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Cary to consult a wrist specialist. Your healthcare provider will conduct a physical exam and inquire into past activities to evaluate severity of injury, as well as take pictures of wrist ligaments and any bone damage for assessment purposes. X-rays or even an MRI might be taken in order to observe how quickly healing has taken place.
Stretching
Stretching is one of the easiest and most beneficial daily practices a person can engage in, helping to enhance overall function, reduce pain and prevent future injury. Tight muscles often hinder function and prolong recovery after injury; tightness may even increase return-to-normal time after stress or exercise has caused muscles to contract as protective mechanisms; by relaxing them through stretching they allow increased blood flow to flow to that area while also expanding range of motion in muscles to avoid stiffness.
Before engaging in stretching exercises, it is crucial that muscles are warmed up. This can be achieved through engaging in light activities like walking and light jogging; avoid bouncing as this could lead to injury; hold each stretch for 30 seconds or less and don’t feel pain – tension but not pain should be the goal! If there is discomfort when stretching it would be wise to consult a physical therapist for further evaluation of any damage to muscles.
Static stretching can help athletes who depend on flexibility for performance, such as gymnasts and dancers. Dynamic stretching has been shown to relieve stiffness and increase muscle power among runners or jumpers such as basketball players.
Stretching can be an effective and simple way to both increase quality of life and decrease pain for people suffering from various injuries or ailments, including wrist sprains. Stretching should be included as part of any workout regimen; its effects are particularly helpful for sedentary workers where tight muscles cause poor posture that contributes to joint stiffness and injury.
