Collection: Wrist Brace

7 Ways Wrist Braces Can Relieve Pain

Wrist rests are one of the most commonly used medical devices in the modern world. Why? Because they are very useful. In fact, "wrist rest" is a very general term that means any wearable device that is specifically designed to support, protect, or limit movement of the wrist. They can be made to fit the right or left hand, and some mounts are universal, meaning they can be used on either wrist depending on how you configure them. Wrist rests can be used to keep your wrists safe after an injury, or to prevent injuries you know are risky. They are often used to relieve long-term wrist pain conditions and are often recommended or even prescribed by doctors for specific rehabilitation programs.

If you're not sure whether you should wear a wristband for recovery or relief, here's a quick rundown of the most common reasons (but by no means all) for wearing a wristband.

Support sports training

While most people might think of wrist braces as a response to pain or injury, athletes know they can also be used to prevent injury. Not all braces are rigid to protect or splint injuries. in athletics. There is often a risk of accidental hyperextension and resulting sprains or painful twisting out of alignment. Many sports and practicing for them can also lead to repetitive motion injuries. A sturdy elastic wristband with no or very small rigid panels can help athletes avoid these common injuries and the downtime they cause because it prevents the wrist from going beyond a healthy range of motion and in some cases putting stress spread out over a larger area.

Inventory and Shipping

Of course, repetitive motion injuries aren't just for athletes. Most people do something over and over at work that can cause damage to the wrist or other critical joints. Those who work in inventory and transportation, who frequently carry boxes and SKUs, are at particularly high risk for wrist injuries because they are always lifting and moving heavy objects and repeating the same movements multiple times in a row for most of the day. year. Wearing a supportive brace like an athlete is a great way to avoid injury, and if you do develop a sprain or cumulative repetitive motion injury, a stronger wrist brace can help you recover and get back to work faster.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is usually caused by working on the keyboard or controller with your mostly hands. Given the digital nature of modern life and work, it is very common in many desk-based occupations. Anyone who works primarily with small finger manipulations is at risk for carpal tunnel, although work involving strong vibrations like jackhammer manipulation can also be a problem. Carpal tunnel syndrome often causes pain, tingling, numbness, and occasional difficulty moving the thumb and first two fingers. It is caused by persistent excessive pressure on the median nerve that runs through the "carpal tunnel" inside the wrist. Wrist braces (usually worn in pairs in this case) can help you reduce stress and are an important part of carpal tunnel treatment.

Reduce swelling

After a sprain or other minor inner wrist injury, your wrist may swell significantly unless you take steps to prevent and reduce inflammation. Swelling can make your wrist softer and harder to move. To reduce and control swelling, it is important to adhere to the RICE injury recovery principles. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation. After a sprain, a wrist brace serves two purposes, supporting the injured area and compressing the wrist to prevent swelling. While you can use elastic bandages for this purpose, wrist straps with shoulder straps are quicker and easier to put on and take off. The amount of time the wrist brace is worn should depend on the severity of the injury, planned activities during recovery, and how long it takes for the swelling to stop.

Prevent further injury

Once the swelling subsides after the wrist injury, you no longer need to compress the tight elastic wristband, but you may still need to protect the injured area from further injury from misuse. If you're like most people, you don't have time to take a few weeks off from work and other activities, but at the same time, you don't want to do extra damage to your wrist by lifting something too heavy, holding something at the wrong angle , or just forget that the wrist is recovering because the pain has stopped. A rigid wrist rest can act as a motion limiter to keep you from overextending while your tendons heal, provide armor to prevent accidental impacts, and support to help distribute any weightlifting you need to do.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is a unique form of repetitive motion injury, usually caused by overuse of the wrist. It's very similar and often confused with carpal tunnel syndrome, but doesn't actually have anything to do with the eponymous carpal tunnel area of ​​the wrist. With tendinitis, light or heavy wrist overuse at a computer desk, storage room, or sports field can lead to sustained minor damage to the wrist tendons and eventually inflammation of the muscles that bind your fingers to your arms. Overuse without warming up and exercising, which is a rare occurrence for office workers and manual workers, can cause arm muscles to tighten and pull tendons too tight. This combined with repetitive motion can create strains, tiny tendon tears like sprains, and frictional injuries from rapid, sustained overuse. This can cause the tendon to swell, injure and limit movement. Wrist braces for tendonitis can reduce pain and injury to the wrist from repetitive motion at work. They work best when combined with exercises that warm up and relax the arm muscles.

Arthritis

Arthritis can happen to almost anyone because it is not caused by activity. Wrist arthritis occurs when all the cushioning cartilage in the wrist wears away, allowing those tiny carpal bones to rub directly against each other. This can be incredibly painful, cause swelling, and limit comfortable movement of the wrist without actually stopping movement completely. While there are many effective arthritis treatments, one of the best ways to reduce this painful bone friction is to partially immobilize your wrists with braces to keep them from moving too much, especially during particularly painful activities.

5 Tips for Using Wrist Support

1. Warm up without a Wrist Brace

You can move 60% of your 1-RM compressions without wrapping your wrist. I generally recommend that my athletes only wear the wristbands on training days when we are at or near maximum load. Relying on a wrist wrap all the time tends to limit the strength development of the wrist flexors and extensors. Look around and you'll see that some of the strongest athletes in our gym rarely wear wristbands.

2. Don't tie your Wrist Brace too low

Remember, the purpose of the wristband is to support your wrist joint. If the wristband is below the wrist joint, you effectively turn the wristband into a non-supportive forearm bracelet. Make sure the bandage is tight enough to cover the wrist joint to provide support and prevent hyperextension of the wrist.

3. Use the right packaging

There are two main types of wraps on the market: the thinner, more flexible cotton wrap and the thicker Velcro powerlifting-style wrap for more wrist support. If you want to maximize exercises like the bench press or shoulder press, I recommend a thicker pack. If you want to max out the clean and jerk or snatch, thinner wraps may be a better option, as they will give you more wrist range of motion. You need to be able to extend your wrists to receive the ball, and the wrists will be slightly extended in the finish position of the snatch and clean and jerk.

4. Most gymnastics movements don’t require a wrap

Unless you plan to wear a catsuit and participate in actual gymnastics events like vaulting or pommel horses, you probably won't need to wear a wristband for bodyweight exercises like ring dips, handstand push-ups, and pull-ups. An exception might be a training or competition with a wrist injury. Additionally, some athletes may wish to wear something on their wrists to protect their skin during high reps of muscle lifts with the fake grip.

5. Don’t use Wrist Brace to hide mobility and dexterity issues

A common reason for wearing a wrist brace is pain or discomfort when extending the wrist, such as when accepting a clean position or performing a front squat. Often, athletes with wrist discomfort during cleaning or front squats may have poor rack placement due to poor upper body mobility. Poor thoracic extension, insufficient shoulder flexion and external rotation, and wrist flexibility can all contribute to poor posture.