Question on getting back to training after wrist injury

[quartzpebble]

(Hi, everyone! I came here via rydra_wong's icon posts and am delighted to find this community!)

I sprained my wrist about a month ago when not falling fast enough in an aikido throw, and have been actually (mostly) listening to the doctor about not flexing/stretching it when it's healing and not over-exerting and re-injuring. About 2 months ago, I started strength training with some of the Stumptuous beginner workouts and have been having a fantastic (and useful) time with that. With my wrist injured, I have been skipping some days and focusing mostly on lower body work when I do lift. I find that I can use that hand to stabilize the weight ok if it's on my shoulders and back, so things like squats and barbell calf raises work. I can also hold weight plates to my chest if they're light enough that I can get them up there one-handed (so, back extensions still are fine).

The doctor said that 6 weeks was probably when I'd start feeling a lot better, so I'm starting to think about what to do when that wrist is feeling significantly better. I suspect that using less weight than I feel like I ought to be able to handle and paying attention to when it starts to ache will cover most of not re-injuring it. (And definitely practicing wrist-based throws slowly and gently once I start to bend that wrist again.) Have any of you been in a similar situation coming back from an injury, and do you have any advice for things (not) to do once it is better enough to start putting more stress on again?

Comments

[yeloson]

The first thing to be aware of is that it's the "feeling better" stage where most people re-injure themselves. You should expect to be taking things lightly for 3-6 months, which sucks, but it's an exploration process.

An easy thing you can start right now, is keeping your wrist in a neutral position, placing your hand against it and resisting gentle, gentle pressure (think of scooting a kitten) from different directions using your other hand.. The point is NOT about increasing strength with force here, but rather getting your nervous system to retrain the muscles to fire as needed- it's about control and activation - especially if you have scar tissue and rebuilt muscle. (This will also help move synovial fluid for the joints, which also helps).

As your wrist gets stronger, you can play with more force. Instead of going high force, think of stabilizer exercises. Example- get a shoe, untie the laces and hold the ends of the laces, and let the shoe swing or spin gently as you try to hold your wrist position.

Like the initial resistance exercise, this will also train the muscles to fire, but now against a moving, somewhat randomized movement, which retrains the stabilizers. (When you can do this for 10 minutes, maybe put something in the shoe for a little extra weight).

When that's solid, and your doctor gives you the ok? Try just holding the pushup position - your bodyweight against your wrists will help you assess what strength they're at. Try "walking" your upper body left and right in that position to try some different angles.

And whatever exercises a physical therapist gives you? Keep doing them, even after you think you're at 100%.

[quartzpebble]

Not quite what I would have liked to hear, but thank you! I get impatient sometimes when I want to do more than my body will let me. That makes sense, and I will give the stabilizer exercises a try.

[untonuggan]

Physical therapy - even a few sessions - might be a really good way to start. I'm recovering from some hip issues (bursitis), and I found a sports medicine/physical therapy place that helped ease me into a strength training routine. The PT can evaluate what you can do when in a way that a personal trainer or a video can't. They can also show you a lot of stretches to keep it limber.

I started my PT program barely able to walk, and now I'm riding a bicycle (3 months later). I'd say that's progress.