-
Wrist wrapping: why don’t we do it?
-
I was talking with a sports med doc- She said if it’s ventral then its a flexor tendon instead of the extensor. She said there’s not really a good treatment for it but would recommend some type of compression brace to improve stability.
-
Just wanted to say thank you for this thread because I have been having issues with my wrist. my injury sound like yours UVA. I have reluctantly stayed off my pole for a while because as soon as it would feel better and i started poling it would hurt all over again. I am ready to jump back into it as my wrist has been feeling great. Ice and yes,I wrap it up!
-
I’m reading this and …. doctors piss me off! if we were men and we told them we had a football injury they would do everything in their power to help us get better so that we could continue playing.
-
I disagree with that doc about “not really a good treatment”. I had a really bad wrist flexor and wrist extensor injury only a few months after starting pole (I was overgripping). I went to an arm/hand PT specialist. We did about 6 weeks of intensive stretching, STEM therapy, and then strength exercises. I still had to baby it for a while and then I did some acupuncture with trigger point massage. I am still poling, and I do not have the issue like I did before. I wear my strength wraps every time I pole, without fail. I also make sure I do Veena’s wrist flexor/extensor stretches after a good pole workout. I can hold a 2 minute plank, whereas I could barely bend my wrist without discomfort a year ago. Also, I’m no spring chicken, so just goes to show ya!
-
Lil’ red- I hope you don’t think that of all doctors. I don’t know a single sports med doc that is biased towards football/men. In fact, most sports med docs I know hate (some even discourage) football. Telling you to stop doing something usually factors in many issues, such as allowing time for healing and decreasing inflammation(obviously) and reason for doing your sport (pleasure vs. income). Most sports docs will try anything they can before saying “just stop doing it.”
Saphyre: The subluxing tendon is very different (and much more rare) from a tendinitis which is a more typical injury. Subluxing tendons generally require surgery to fix, which has its own downsideds. That being said, rest and PT probably wouldn’t hurt, and may help some, but it won’t STOP the tendon from subluxing. That’s what she meant by “there really is no good treatment”.
Sorry for the defensiveness. I’m training to be a sports med doc so I see the other side of the coin.
-
no, I don’t feel that way about all doctors. just most of the ones I work with. sad to say it, but they really cater to men with sports injuries. any sport. it really is more about them being men and the fact that they don’t take women seriously. I can only say that about the doctors I’ve worked with. And I can say that about my ex-doctor.
-
The department I’ve been working with has all female physicians, so I guess my view of it is probably skewed.
-
I’ve worked in sugery as a surgical tech for 15 years. that has been my personal experience.
-
I do think it makes a difference with female physicians.
-
No worries, Korinne!! Mine isn’t solely tendonitis either (although I had that to begin with from gardening). I actually pulled the tendon quite severely. It slipped. It felt like a rubber band snapping. Seriously, at first I thought I broke my arm! Thank the Lord I didn’t need surgery. I also have super weak wrists because I sprained them over and over when I was a kid. I was so scrawny and weak! It surprises me that I am able to pole at all. I also have scoliosis. My spine curves 3 times. It is quite a beautiful Xray, if I do say so myself. My PT was a female and her office manager was a poler. She knew how important is was to me to be able to recover fully. It took over a year to really feel like I recovered, but it could very easily happen again if I’m not careful. Hence, the wrist wraps….xoxo
-
The chiropractor worked wonders for my wrists made them feel so much better after years of pain! I have been looking for some sort of wrap or support too though to prevent future injury and allow me to do things I would otherwise be weary of (handstands and even push-ups became too painful)…but seems like the ones I’ve seen would impair grip from the fabric covering the hand. Now that I’m reading the blog mentioned above…has anyone tried those crossfit strength wraps vs say a mighty grip wrist support and do these things actually work?? The ones I found at wal-mart really just seemed to cut of my circulation lol (and had a fabric on the hand which was bad for grip).
-
For new dancers who may be reading this.
Just one thing to add, using wraps if you really need them can be super helpful!!! However, I would like to add…..be sure you are still doing strength work for your hands, wrists and forearms and not jumping into wearing wraps right away without working on strength first. I have “bird bones” (tiny wrists) and they are not naturally strong however, I saw significant improvement in strength and less need for wraps as I focused on exercises for the wrist AND not over training split grips or spins. Over training is a big culprit of wrist and other joint issues. I’m not saying using wraps is a bad idea IF you need them. 🙂
-
Excellent points, Veena (and your tips are good too, lol)! I do boatloads of conditioning and stretching for my hands and wrists. If I didn’t, I have no doubt I would have re-injured them by now. I can’t see myself ever using twisted grip for anything, and I keep my split grips to no more than twice a week.
-
I agree with Veena! I never needed them until I started handsprings. That was three years in for me. Ever since then, I need them. More exercise never hurt also. I need to get light weights and do more with my wrists.
-
I have used strength wraps and love them. When I occasionally tweak my wrist they provide support. I generally don’t wear them though, but they’re great to have.
-
I use them they are brill support for my wrists when doing handstands.
-
I also have them. I love them when my wrists are sore, but not during pole! handstands, yoga, some floorwork.
-
Lil Red – ouch! I’m a doctor and I haven’t seen that type of attitude represented in any of colleagues (or myself, obviously haha). Sounds like you’ve had some negative experiences, I hope you’ll try to keep an open mind for the rest of us! I do talk about pole/aerials/acrobatics/etc with many of my colleagues… sometimes about my specific injuries related to it. I have found that overall, I have a great response with no impression that I’m being taken less seriously for being a woman or pole dancer. I find more and more now that the other docs, especially orthopedic surgeons, are interested in the strength and fitness of the sport. We do put a lot of stress on our joints doing what we love, and I think we’ve all been guilty at some point or another of not listening to our bodies when we should. I know I’m guilty of that!
Back to the OP:
I have strength wraps. I don’t use them all the time, and when I do use them, it’s usually only on my right wrist (recurrent tendonitis in the wrist but also tennis elbow)… I actually dislike using them when I’m really extending and weight bearing on my wrists (i.e. handstand training), but I find that they really do help me when I feel like my wrist and elbow are getting a bit strained again. I think part of it is definitely reminding me to pay closer attention to the alignment of my wrist, but also I do find it adds stability. -
that was not aimed at any of you. but it really is a reflection of 15 years of working with many surgeons. sexism exists in the healthcare industry. I hear and see a lot of horrible sexist things.
-
I am open minded. I don’t feel I am closed minded at all.
-
sorry, didn’t finish. I work with many great male physicians and a few sexist ones. the good are more than the negative. but over the years, I am surprised that this still exists.
-
Well I did HS Cheer and we always wrapped our wrist and ankles for the extra support especially if we had LONG practice days, so I do some times when I pole. But ONLY if I’m going to be practicing for a long time. sometimes your wrist get tired and you need extra support. If I’m just trying something real quick then I don’t bother. Also how you wrap can aid in not hurting your wrist, buy over bending it or tweaking it.
lilredrobinhood, I’m sorry you have those sorts of people around you. That’s just janky. I have never had that experience in my life… so far there is always a first time. Actually I just went to a doctor because my right shoulder was starting to feel like it was grinding or something like that. It hurt to do push ups and certain moves. I had a male doctor and told him what I did and he was pleasantly surprised and was asking all sort of questions about the training and the strength and so forth. After he evaluated my shoulder he said basically I over used that side of my body (naturally, its my dominate side) and he said it was time to rest that side and start building up my weaker side. He gave me stretches and stuff to do for the side that hurt, but all in all there wasn’t much to do to it other than stretch and rest it.
-
Haloanne!!! that lump on your wrist is called a gangelion!! (such a good name haha) I have them too !! it feels like bone but actually is a fatty /fluid lump. one trick to get rid of them (recommended by my nurse mom!!) – hit it really hard with a hardback book and it should disperse… !!
-
I use wrist supports pretty frequently. I have a double whammy of tendinitis and loose-ish joints. The wraps help support and maintain positioning.
-
Anyone have any suggestions on which wrist wraps they like best?
Log in to reply.
