Hi Everyone:

I started to do some basic handstand several month ago and finally was taught to do backhandspring last week. And now my wrist just hurts so bad. I never really crashed or anything but it seems my wrist is having some restriction on its movement. Then I started to read some articles about osteoarthritis and started to wondering that if my gymnastic training is wearing my cartilage away around my wrist area, which could be really bad. So I am writing here to ask if anyone out here had similar experience before and could kindly give me some advice on it.

Thanks a lot!

It is very common for wrists to hurt when you begin to do a lot of handstands and tumbling and stuff. Because it puts pressure on the wrists and the wrists arent used to getting so much pressure. As you do more and more of it, your wrists will strengthen and it wont hurt anymore.

Make sure you warm up properley before you start tumbling and always strech your wrists before you starts. It may also help to bandage your wrists when ever you tumble. Many people never tumble without bandaging their wrists to support them.

Actually, I got this web:

www.hughston.com . . .

What do you guys think?

I can't say I'm surprised to have read that. Stress fractures and the like are extremely common to not only gymnasts, but atheletes in practically every sport.

How often do you train? This seems like it probably would be an issue for a gymnast who either a) trains a lot. or b) has been in gymnastics for many years.

I'm not sure which molds (if any) you happen to fit into.

If you believe this is an issue (because of your wrist pain), then make sure you warm up very good before tumbling. Stretch out your wrists even on days that you aren't tumbling.

RileyA is right on about wrapping your wrists. You should try it. For awhile, I *always* wrapped my wrists. And it helps.

Also.... some wrist pain is... well, I want to say "normal", but I'm going to go with the word Common. After an intense session, my wrists hurt me, too. But, nobody here is a doctor, and nobody here knows your *exact* situation.

So, you should watch out for some warning signs.

Sprains
This basically is when the ligaments in your wrist are stretched (or torn sometimes) beyond their normal range of motions. I've had these before... and trust me, they hurt a lot. I think I've gotten one from a bhs, but I can't really remember.

Signs
*During the activity you think caused the sprain, you will hear or feel a "popping" effect
*Pain when the wrist is moved
*Swelling
*Bruising
*Burning/Tingling

Breaks
This would be when an actual bone is fractured. Eek! You may think that you would know if you had a broken bone but, it may be slight, so that is also a source of wrist pain.

Signs of a wrist fracture
*Pain in the base of the thumb
*Swelling
*Difficulty/Inability to grasp items using your thumb.

Sometimes, wrist injuries are minor and can be effectively treated at home. Use RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) if you are unsure of what the problem is. When in doubt, call your physician.

I know that you never said you were injured, but it is important to know the warning signs just in case. Some pain is normal, but it should be more like discomfort, not throbbing pain.

Hope this helped some!

Feel free to PM me anytime!

*Liv

I had the EXACT SAME THING happen to me not too long ago.

Back in August of '05 my right wrist started hurting real bad when i put pressure to it. My coach said it was probably sprained & to be careful. Well ever since then the pain always came back whenever i was tumbling. Not so much the running but like standing back handsprings & what not. So i got an x-ray. nothing. then the doctor suggusted an MRI. i got that done & there was nothing. the doctor said there might be a tiny tear in my cartlige that they can't see yet, (i got this done in February of '06)
He thinks i have tendonitis. i still do gymnastics & compete it & yes my wrist still does hurt but i wear a support so it reduces the pain. the doctor said if it still hurts come August '06 to go back & they might have to put a camera in my wrist to see what's wrong!

so that might be what's happening to you. i'm not sure though, but i hope it helped!

Thanks to all you guys up there. Now my wrists are getting better, but now I always wear wrist supports on both wrist when I practice. I think I got the pain mainly because my stand bhs was and is very flawed which sometims put a lot of presure on my wrists. And I was also working on my handstand a lot, which hasn't been too good on my wrists either...

Thanks, Liv, for the information and gymbabe_0628, how are they gonna put a camera into your wrist??? that sounds scary.

panda,

Yeah when my doctor told me that i deff. got scared. i have no clue though haha i'm just hoping my wrist will get better in time!

Hi there

When i was 10 i was in a trio and i had to learn Roundoff Flic Tuck for a british champtionships. i was never a natural tumbler so it took me ages to learn it.

i had exactly the same problem with my wrists, and i eventually went to physio as i could no longer do anything! she was brilliant and just said it was a repetitive strain injury. i was doing too much on BAD TECHNIQUE. she did some ultrasound on them and heat packs to relax them. i did compete the move (although it wasnt brill) and later on when i learned to tumble properly, the pain was no longer there. my wrists have always been weak and supports are good but dont rely on them.

take home message - not too many reps and dont skimp out on learning a move quickly by adopting a bad technique. the problem is almost definitely with the roundoff, as this is so underestimated in importance.

i expect arthritis will set in when im much older, but please dont sacrifice your training for something that may never happen!

hope this helps!