Wrist Tendonitis

[Frankazoid]

I originally got the tendonitis from swingin a hammer all day at work. I've had maybe 12-15 flare ups in the last 5 years, with each one getting progressivly worse and taking longer to heal. Usually it has taken 2 weeks to get back to 100%. Currently it has been about a month and its still a BIG no go. Pain with almost everything I do with my right hand. I stretch, rotate, ice/hot alternations, ibuprofen etc... nothing. What the hell is going on now??! I most certainly cant see a doctor... ive been to harborview so much they almost dont want to see me anymore! A specialist is definetly outta the question. Could it just be so bad that I need 2 months to heal? Anybody else have wrist tendonitis? HELP!

[genepires]

Where exactly is the pain? What movement exactly causes the pain? Do you still do construction? What is the movement that created the last flareup?

 

It sounds like you need a long term cure and not just waiting it out. The next one may be the final straw. Sounds like your previous treatments where anti inflamatory and not a solution to the original problem.

 

Have you explored the idea of severe muscle imbalance?

Sounds like the contra to the gripping of hammer work is expansion of hand. If there is no pain, then try either:

1- fill a bucket with sand, insert hand and spread fingers apart

2- for less resistance, go to someplace like staples and buy the biggest rubberband they got. (very cheap) Place one band around all fingers tips and thumb and expand the fingers. Do 50 reps or till the forearm muscles are tired.

 

Swinging a hammer involves some ulnar deviation. (the little wrist flick at the end like when ice climbing) Where the pinky gets closer to the forearm via bending at wrist. If this is true for your hammering, then the contra to that is radial deviation and the way to work that is:

get a wooden dowel and a small weight. Use hose clamps to secure weight to one end of dowel. Grab other end of dowel with the weight out in front of you and hold the dowel horizontal. Adjust grip on dowel to increase or decrease leverage. Again avoid if any pain.

 

The forearm muscles is a very complicated place. (second to shoulder) A simple diagnosis of wrist tendonitis is probably BS. If it is a strained tendon, you have many tendons and have strained one of them. The task is to learn about the forearm, find the one you strained, and work the other muscles. Building the other muscles hopefully will increase blood flow, build balance, make you tough as nails as a by product.

 

Also try to get the blood flowing in the body. Places like tendons don't get much blood flow so healing is slow. Try to maximize the blood flow by doing cardio regularly (walking is superior) and keep the wrist warm for much of the time. (fuzzy wrist warmers or tie a cat to your wrist?)

 

What about carpal tunnel? (an inflamation problem)

 

BTW, I am not a doctor nor a expert by any means, just someone who has had interests in this area. I suspect that if Layton stumbles across your question, he will ask the first two questions.

If interested, I could help you with some forearm based exercises and bio feedback to guide the process. (not as complicated as it sounds)

Edited February 17, 2011 by genepires

[Sol]

pay close attention to what you are doing with your wrists and your hands when you sleep. I had similar problems and though i was doing all the remedies you mention, I was sleeping with my wrists bent under my chin. I had immediate improvements when I started sleeping with wrist guards at night. the wrist guards kept my carpal tunnel from bending and allowed me to finally get some overnight recovery. Just don't forget they're on and give your old lady a shiner in bed.

[selkirk]

I get a case of tendinitis in my left wrist about every 2 years or so (a little more often since we had a little one who requires lots of holding). Treatment for me has always been a brace/guard and wearing it until the wrist feels better and then a little longer (usually 2 to 4 weeks), possibly with a light treatment of anti-inflamatories.

 

That said, watch out for tendonosis. As chronic as this sounds it could head south if left untreated.

 

Good luck

[layton]

ice 20min on, 2 hours off for days...wear a low profile wrist guard constantly (including sleep) for 2 weeks. get someone to completely strip out the muscles in your hand, wrist, forearm. begin eccentric exercises in all directions (flexion, extension, supination, pronation, ulnar and radial deviation) at low weight so you are sore after 20-30 reps. switch to concentric exercises.

get a hammer with vibration dampening, possibly wear the wrist guard during hammering. continue with stretching and muscle stripping. take anti-inflams for a week after the pain is not acute.

if you experience nerve pain or constant numbness/tingling, or a noticeable reduction in wrist strength you may need less conservative treatment...but start with this.

don't expect recovery anytime soon - if it's really chronic, it could take a year of rehab.

 

also, check your form while hammering. use larger muscle groups including your core (torso, some shoulder, elbow) and follow through with your wrist.

[Frankazoid]

Thanks yall.

 

Im definetly going to start sleeping with the brace on again.

Also, I haven't been hammering for 3 years now. Climbing is pretty much what does it for me these days.

 

The pain consumes my entire wrist, all the way up the middle finger and the entire hand pretty much. I think i'm dealing with multiple tendons here. This is definetly a first, as in the past it has been only my wrist.

 

I think I need to do full bracing and anti inflamatory treatment again for atleast 2 weeks before I start the stretching, wrist curls etc... I might really have to drag out the normal treatment I do for another 2 months... slow and steady. I am also hyped on the sand in a bucket idea. seems like that would feel good even for a healthy wrist and hand.

 

If that doesn't work I am prepared to shell out every last dime I make for a specialist/surgery/whatever to make things right.

 

I must honestly say I feel a bit scared at this point about my climbing future, and climbing seems to be the only thing my life revolves around. I would definetly like to keep it that way as it's always my goal to climb harder/interesting routes, blah blah blah... Its my life- like a lot of you guy's.

 

Thanks again.

[genepires]

is there any tingling, numbness, hand weakness, or pain shooting to elbow? (signs of carpal tunnel)

[Frankazoid]

Definetly weakness in the hand... Grabbing anything causes pain in my whole hand- kinda like my hands getting crunched in a vice. The pain often (especially at night) goes up to the top of my forarm muscles, mostly the top side. But not the elbow. My hand is basicly useless for anything other than picking up a coffee cup, gently. I am also only 26 years old, which makes this extra lame.

[layton]

dude that's pretty bad. maybe start shopping for health ins?

[Frankazoid]

Start shopping for a job with health ins.....

[fern]

don't forget to take care of your whole body too. wrist bone connected to the elbow bone connected to the shoulder bone ... If your wrists are tweaky it's even more reason to make sure everything else is bomber and well tuned.

[Frankazoid]

don't forget to take care of your whole body too. wrist bone connected to the elbow bone connected to the shoulder bone ... If your wrists are tweaky it's even more reason to make sure everything else is bomber and well tuned.

 

Agree!

[Lucky Larry]

sorry bro but 2 months is two little, more like-sorry-two years.. sounds like you have made a very common mistake of getting on it too soon, too many times. i know this sounds lame--tincture of time.

[Frankazoid]

I have definetly gotten on it to soon, more than once yes. I'm seeing myself enjoying some multi-pitch slab this year. Today I woke up with no pain, finally. I think another 2 months or so of sleeping with the brace on and doing strengthing exercises will have me in a good enough spot for slab climbing (if i dont jump the gun between then, which I won't). I also have movement in my hand today with no pain. i can grab a tennis ball and squeeze the crap out of it without that whole-hand pain. In about 2 months I will hopefully have enough money to see a doctor too. Maybe 2 years untill i'm climbing the steeps again at the RED. who knows... Dead vertical face climbing is my favorite climbing though.

[Frankazoid]

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Edited February 22, 2011 by Frankazoid