Through self internet diagnoses, I think I might have a minor case of wrist tendonitus. The area where the base of my thumb meets my wrist hurts when I pinch grip or press. It also bothers me when I do low bar squats. Will wraps help with this. My last tested bench was 255 in November and 205 easy for medium-close grip incline last week (I’m strongest going wide as legal). I just mentioned the numbers in case it’s a deciding factor on whether or not I should use wraps or not.
Wear them if you can’t train otherwise, but don’t use them as a crutch. Save them for your heaviest sets of squats/bench.
Wear them as much as you want. They don’t add poundage to your lifts, so why would they be a crutch?
By the way, are there any stretches/mobility movements/exercises I can do to fix this. At the moment, I’m just wearing a neoprene wrist sleeve while I bum around at home and am taking aleve twice a day to reduce inflammation. This neoprene wrist sleeve isn’t what I’m going to use in the gym, I got some everlast novice cotton wraps. My gym provides some heavy duty ones and those are way overkill for me.
Are you supporting the bar with your wrists? The weight of the bar should be on your shoulders with low bar.
They work great for me. I wear them when my wrists start getting sore. Just make sure to get some decent power lifting quality ones. The crappy walmart ones don’t do shit.
Rickie Dale Crain is an old time lifter with the philosophy that if you have stuff to prevent injury use it.
He had both wrists done and he was a huge supporter of anything that would keep you healthy.
Myself I only use wrist wraps on bench (I am a 3 lift guy) but I know lots of people that use wraps and it helps.
[quote]Wild_Iron_Gym wrote:
Are you supporting the bar with your wrists? The weight of the bar should be on your shoulders with low bar.[/quote]
No, but but when I pull the bar into my back/push my upper back and shoulders into the bar, I can get trouble. Also when I rack the bar I can have problems and just the feeling of my hands getting stretched when I grip it.
That sounds like you lack wrist flexibility. I think getting your wrists more flexible will help more than anything.
^
Yeah, you’re probably right. With power cleans over a year ago, I think that’s what caused my right rotator cuff issues. Since the wrist couldn’t move properly, I think the shoulder tried to take over the range of motion and gave. One thing’s that struck as odd is that all of my upper body nags and injuries have been on my right side… first my rotator cuff from those cleans, then elbow tendonitus from the first time I did band presses over half a year ago, and then this wrist tendonitus that developed over time from a combo of wide grip pressing and low bar back squats. My left side has never had problems. I can’t help but think there’s some sort of underlying structural issue on my right side. Even a couple of friends mentioned that my left arm and shoulder is bigger than my right side and I’m right handed. I even feel stronger on my left side (of course not as nimble). I told a doctor this and he just shrugged it off.
[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:
Through self internet diagnoses, I think I might have a minor case of wrist tendonitus. The area where the base of my thumb meets my wrist hurts when I pinch grip or press. It also bothers me when I do low bar squats. Will wraps help with this. My last tested bench was 255 in November and 205 easy for medium-close grip incline last week (I’m strongest going wide as legal). I just mentioned the numbers in case it’s a deciding factor on whether or not I should use wraps or not.[/quote]
I had the same problem last year, so went and bought a set of elasticated (slightly) wrist wraps.
Around 2-3 days later, bingo…all better.
I find it better to tighten them when on heavy sets and loosen while resting.
^
That’s what I’m doing with the cotton wraps. I did an ME upper body workout today and after using the wraps for my ME movement (incline press) and supplementary (close grip press), my wrist feels 10 times better than before the workout… almost like my wrist got realigned or something… I don’t really know.
Okay, I had the same problem. I ignored it for a year. I used wrist wraps to help it. Wraps worked for awhile but my wrist started giving out with heavy weight. finally went to the doctor after x-rays and an MRI I found out I needed a “Distal Radial Ulnar Joint reconstruction”. That is the tendon that holds the Distal and Radial bones together at the wrist. That surgery cost me 50k and 60k of rehabilitation. Not to mention the year and a half not setting foot into a gym. Just be careful and if the pain don’t go away soon I’d go get an MRI on it. X-ray’s will show nothing and is a waist of time and money. (if its soft tissue that is)
Do you sit at a computer a lot? It’s not uncommon to have issues on the right side if you keep your mouse too far away. I’ve seen some people with really messed up posture because of it.
I use a laptop, I usually set it to the side of me on a couch and use it like that, I do lean away from the pc a bit so that probably makes me reach. That might be the problem.
[quote]Wild_Iron_Gym wrote:
Do you sit at a computer a lot? It’s not uncommon to have issues on the right side if you keep your mouse too far away. I’ve seen some people with really messed up posture because of it. [/quote]
I just realized this is probably why I sometimes have trouble with my right scapula winging out. Do you have any tips/exercises to help?
Look into getting some ART, and stretch the forearms/wrist a lot after training