Pain in wrist (thumbs around with wrist wraps)

Medical Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hello Dr. Feigenbaum and Dr. Baraki,

Today I experienced some pain in my right wrist. It was located on the styloid process of the ulna. It got pretty bad after the second set of squats so I tried going without wrist wraps on the third set. This fixed the pain there, but of course then I had pain in the wrist on the side of the back of the hand (the side facing the direction of the wrist extension), which was expected. I am thinking I am just letting too much weight into my hands versus the back. I can try a wider grip but it would just be awesome if there was a sure way to keep this from happening. It seems like even the slightest lapse in upper-back tightness or concentration of not allowing lots of weight on the hand can create such an issue. Also since I am doing a 80%, 90%, 100% of RM squat workouts instead of the typical LP it is hard to work on this aspect under maximal weight. This means that on my 5 RM days, I may not be as practiced with the grip/back aspect. Do you guys have any possible suggestions? Thanks!

-ColoradoMinesCole

2

It sounds like today was the first time you’ve ever experienced this. You might be right that you are carrying the weight in the hands and not entirely on the back, and probably need to continue experimenting with your grip/thumb position and the use of wrist wraps.

I would not agree that “even the slightest lapse in upper back tightness” always leads to major problems. You’re not that fragile.

3

Sorry I keep making a fool out of myself on these forums. I always end up writing these posts when the problem is fresh in my mind, and I kind of overreact.

4

That was something else I almost commented on, but opted not to.

I would suggest not immediately coming and posting on the forum after any new issue or discomfort you have in the gym. Most things get better on their own, a good proportion of the remainder you can “work around” with minor adjustments/experimentation, and beyond that, we’re happy to offer whatever help we can.

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