# Sprained wrist recovery?



## IonicRipper (Oct 26, 2006)

I was XCing with a buddy last Monday and hurt my wrist when I lost my balance on a stupid mistake. It was a bit sore before we went riding but I didn't think much of it and now I'm regretting it. It only hurts when i do specific movements (on the left side of the left wrist) and its been a week without any obvious improvement. I've been icing it at least once a day and trying not to move it too much. Is there anything else I can do to accelerate recovery? Its kinda frustrating having a brand new bike and not being able to ride.


----------



## dickeydoo (May 11, 2007)

IonicRipper said:


> I was XCing with a buddy last Monday and hurt my wrist when *I lost my balance on a stupid mistake.* It was a bit sore before we went riding but I didn't think much of it and now I'm regretting it. It only hurts when i do specific movements (on the left side of the left wrist) and its been a week without any obvious improvement. I've been icing it at least once a day and trying not to move it too much. Is there anything else I can do to accelerate recovery? Its kinda frustrating having a brand new bike and not being able to ride.


The mistake I made last summer was going to slow through a rock garden and fell onto my wrist. After that every bump I traveled over was a pain in my wrist. So I stopped riding off road due to wrist pain. After a couple of weeks of no improvement I had it x-rayed, no break. I went to Walgreens and bought a wrist brace and after about 5 weeks I got back on the singletrack, there was still some pain so I had to keep my rides to no more than an hour long due to the pain. I gradually increased my ride times back to 2 or 3 hours over the next few weeks. Surprisingly there is still some occasional pain.


----------



## IonicRipper (Oct 26, 2006)

Apparently, one of the reasons why I might have hurt my wrist is because they're at an angle when I ride (e.i. not in a straight line with my forearm.) I will try to remember keeping them straight next time I go riding. 

In the meantime, I think I'm seeing a small improvement. Its not as sensitive as it was a few days ago.


----------



## IonicRipper (Oct 26, 2006)

So my left wrist never completely healed. Almost every time it was starting to get better and I went for a ride, I injured it again. But now, I've injured my right wrist as well! Probably because I was putting more weight on that one to help the one that hurt. Should I stop riding altogether for a while to let them heal? Consult a physiotherapist?


----------



## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Have you seen a doctor about this problem? Is there any clicking or clunking from your wrist when you move it?

It's possible to have a broken bone without a great deal of pain or the limb being twisted at an odd angle. There are examples of people having broken wrists and just putting up with it for years without realising it was broken.

I'm not a doctor but if it's been bad for over a month you probably need to get it looked at or at least rest it properly, several weeks of not doing much with that hand, certainly no riding or lifting. Depending upon how bad it is I'd be inclined to go and see a doctor, if only for peace of mind.


----------



## IonicRipper (Oct 26, 2006)

I haven't seen a doctor but I'm seriously thinking about getting an appointment.
No clicking or clunking that I can feel when moving my wrists.

I'll see how it feels tomorrow. If there is no improvement I will definitely go see a doctor.


----------



## tweasol (Mar 20, 2009)

Buy a brace and wear it during rides, during sleep, and whenever you are doing something where you can also wear the brace. I have a beefy one for home use and a 661 for riding. I'm considering buying one for my other wrist because I too know how frustrating this type of injury is.


----------



## IonicRipper (Oct 26, 2006)

Its been a few weeks now and my wrists are finally starting to feel better but the pain is still there.

Is it possible that my handlebars could have caused this? I never really thought about it until now but they seem to be a tad wide for me. Any thoughts?


----------



## markmyers (Feb 11, 2013)

IonicRipper said:


> Its been a few weeks now and my wrists are finally starting to feel better but the pain is still there.
> 
> Is it possible that my handlebars could have caused this? I never really thought about it until now but they seem to be a tad wide for me. Any thoughts?


How's it feeling now? I think I have the exact same injury and I got it close to when you did. My crash was 23 days ago, left wrist hurts on the left side. I had X ray and doc said its only sprained. I've been wearing a brace often and its gradually feeling better but still feels like I have at least a week or two. Like tweasol said its a very frustrating injury. I'm dying to at least have a goal date in mind when I can ride again, as its my favorite thing in the world. Good luck healing.


----------



## markmyers (Feb 11, 2013)

IonicRipper said:


> Its been a few weeks now and my wrists are finally starting to feel better but the pain is still there.
> 
> Is it possible that my handlebars could have caused this? I never really thought about it until now but they seem to be a tad wide for me. Any thoughts?


Also forgot to mention that I had just started using 780mm handlebars a few weeks before this race. I regret it, a couple of my riding pals said "you have to get big bars" but I wish I didn't now. They do feel too big and I'm going to cut them down.


----------



## IonicRipper (Oct 26, 2006)

There is still some pain after riding or lifting something heavy but other then that, not bad. I think cutting 2 inches off my bars helped a lot.


----------

