Tips For Reducing Pain When A Wrist Injury Occurs
A wrist injury is one of the most common problems that any athlete can deal with. Here are a few tips to help you prevent and treat it.
It only takes a moment of loss of balance and you can slip down and hurt your hand. Once your hand hits the ground, the force of impact can bend your hand back and stretch the ligaments which connect your wrist to your hand bones.
However, although it is a common injury that usually heals by itself in a few weeks, it can also be extremely painful and stop you from completing your everyday life chores.
Moreover, falling forward onto your outstretched hand can cause even a fracture.
To know how severe the injury is and which treatment you need to follow, you need to get an X-ray test that has the ability to see through your skin and reveal images of the bones beneath it.
Immediate Treatment
Although the exact nature and pain of the injury might not be immediately evident, it is important to begin treating the injury right away after it occurs.
You need to immobilize the wrist using a splint or a brace in case your wrist has suffered a fracture.
Also, ice therapy can help you reduce the pain until you start receiving the right treatment for your injury.
Start Exercising
If the doctor has concluded that your wrist has not suffered any fracture and you are allowed to move it, there are a few exercises for pain-free wrists. Those exercises will help you reduce the pain and inflammation in your wrist.
Medical specialists say that stretches can help with the pain and discomfort of wrist injuries.
The most basic exercise implies beginning with a neutral position and bending your hand toward you. Hold the position for a few seconds and return to the neutral position.
Also, a quick and easy exercise is to stretch and relieve the tension in the hands by creating an “O” shape.
Take Anti-Inflammatory Painkillers
Especially in the beginning, the pain produced by a wrist injury can become insupportable. If ice does not help you enough with reducing the pain and inflammation, you can rely on anti-inflammatory painkillers.
However, these drugs should only be used occasionally just as your doctor recommends.
How To Prevent A Wrist Injury?
Better be safe than sorry is always a good motto to keep in your mind. Unforeseen events are impossible to prevent, yet, the following tips may help you with a little bit of protection:
- Calcium can help you build bone strength which will help you prevent fractures in case you slip over and fall.
- Also, staying alert is the best way to prevent any type of injury. Remove any hazard which might cause you to fall and hurt yourself.
- Protective gear for athletic activities is essential to protect yourself from getting injured while practicing your passion. Wrist guards are the best tools to wear during high-risk activities.
The recovery time of a wrist injury depends on how serious the injury is. Although everybody heals at a different rate, it may usually take from two to ten weeks to completely heal.
