T Nation

Training Around Wrist Sprains

#1

I wanted to get a thread going to get some ideas on how to train with a sprained wrist. I have this knack for spraining my wrists on a fairly regular basis (began when I injured it climbing over a wall 3 years ago...don't ask...heh).

I'm sure there are plenty of varieties and severity of wrist sprains. My particular type causes me pain when I pull things palms up and palms down and when I press things palms down and palms down. Naturally, that makes my bicep/triceps training lag when I've just re-sprained one of my wrists.

I'm sure there are others besides me that have wrist trouble from time to time and I thought I'd pick your brain as well as share what I've learned so far.

I've noticed that I am still able to use a hammer grip without pain. So far I've been able to supplement regular pull ups with hammer/neutral grip pull ups. I don't really like the limited ROM on dumbbell curls with hammer grip (need a substitute for that). I can use a rope attachment to do triceps extensions without pain. Some movements that I would like to find a substitute for are:

Dumbbell/ez bar curls
Overhead dumbbell/barbell extensions and skull crushers

Along with any other ideas or suggested movements (even if they're non arm related) that are easier on a wrist that's on the mend..

#2

have you tried using wrist wraps to give your wrist support and try training in those injured planes of motion?

I mess my wrists up occasionally and i find that helps alot. art/massage work on your forearms might help alleviate any damage/adhesions causing the pain.

#3

Wrists shouldn’t get sprained just like that…

  1. let them heal a few days. You can also ask your doc about some oral anti-inflammatory - they worked fine for me.
  2. warm-up your wrists - especially when it’s cold. I sometimes use the hot running water from the gym to give them a boost :slight_smile:
  3. use wrist wraps
  4. use close-grip chin-ups for biceps? (don’t crucify me for that,people) Plus, hammer curls or pinwheels, which are both great exes.
  5. for triceps - try close-grip bench press
  6. they should get stronger with time anyways I think
#4

I’ve used wrist wraps to a certain degree of success but it doesn’t help enough in most cases to alleviate enough pain to complete a movement.

I’ll try close grip movements to see if I can pull it off.

#5

i’d give it a week man, you dont want to permanently injre yourself. a week off wont kill u