Recently, a lot of people have thrown themselves into a quest to improve their physical fitness. One key aspect of this quest is often doing more strength training, which can be very beneficial.
However, doing more strength training can also lead to wrist pain from lifting. Medical studies found that weightlifting led to 13% of all wrist injuries, and that nearly half of all sport-related wrist injuries were sprains. A physical therapist can help you learn the source of your wrist pain from lifting. These specialists can also help you reduce your pain and prevent it from coming back.
Three common causes of wrist pain from lifting
Out of all the lifting-related issues that can cause wrist pain, there are three that are especially common:
- Overuse — One medical study reports that up to 26% of athletic wrist injuries are related to overuse. Any body part can be pushed too far during a workout, and the wrists are no exception. Doing too many lifting exercises at one time can lead to aching wrists. Also, doing wrist-related exercises too often throughout the week doesn’t give the wrists the rest they need. This can easily leave them inflamed and painful.
- Weakness — The wrists are an area that many people don’t focus on during a workout. As a result, they’re often weaker than many of the other areas in your arms. Such weakness makes the wrists more prone to strains, sprains and injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Poor positioning — Many people who work out are well aware that good back posture is important. However, fewer people tend to focus on wrist posture during their workout. The most stable position for your wrists is to keep them aligned with the forearms. Letting your wrists bend upward or downward during lifting can increase your risk of wrist discomfort and injuries.
How can a physical therapist treat wrist pain from lifting?
Your therapist can take steps to help you treat and prevent lifting-related wrist pain. Some of the these steps may include:
- Using manual therapy methods to mobilize and manipulate the wrists and forearms.
- Showing you therapeutic exercises that can improve your wrist flexibility and strength.
- Recommending blood flow moderation training to more rapidly build up forearm muscle strength.
- Performing functional dry needling that can reduce tension in the forearm muscles.
Find therapeutic care for wrist pain at Border Therapy Services
Need help treating your wrist pain? Our Border Therapy Services team is ready to help you find the most effective therapeutic care for your pain. We offer free screenings that can pinpoint the root cause of your wrist pain. Additionally, our physical therapists are adept at building individualized therapy plans designed to decrease pain and prevent it from returning again.
Don’t have time to come to one of our clinics? No worries! You can still get effective physical therapy from our team by using our at-home care or virtual therapy services.
Contact our team today for more information about all the therapy options we offer for wrist pain or to schedule your initial appointment.