Wrist and hand injuries in the gym
Gym and weightlifting exercises make you strong physically as well as mentally. When it comes to burning calories, decreasing the risk of heart diseases, managing your blood sugar level, decreasing abdominal fat, and other exercises, gym and weightlifting are brilliant options. However, where these activities are beneficial, at the same time, they may be harmful when not performed accordingly. This article is a detailed account of what causes wrist and hand injuries in the gym and their symptoms. As well as this, you can also check the possible treatments and preventive measures to keep your hands and wrist safe during the gym and weightlifting. So, let’s begin the discussion here:
Causes of wrist and hand injuries
Gym, especially weightlifting, is a strenuous task that can put extra pressure on your hands and wrists joints. As well as this, several other factors contribute to the pain and injury of the wrists and hands. Lets’ have a look at the common causes of wrist and hand injuries during the gym or weightlifting:
1. No warm-up and cool down
No warm-up keeps the tendons of your hands and wrists remain inactive and tight. Working out, especially weightlifting, without warming up your hands or wrists can cause serious hand or wrist injuries.
2. Overuse
Overuse is a chief reason for hand or wrist injuries during the gym and weightlifting. Overuse or overweight can put extra pressure on the wrist joints and ligaments, causing severe pain and injury to the wrist joints and ligaments.
3. Too often training
Overtraining is one of the real issues, bringing your hands or wrists to serious injuries. It may put you at a high risk of injuries directly or indirectly. Remember that overtraining can drain the total strength level, conditioning, and counteracts of your body.
4. Poor techniques
For every single workout activity, proper techniques are necessary to perform well. Ensure that you perform your activities accordingly. Also, ensure that you are starting new practices under the instructions of your professional trainers.
5. Wearing no equipment
Wearing the necessary equipment are essentials while performing gym activities, especially during weightlifting. Experts suggest wearing wrist support for weight lifting & gym training to get a safe gym and weightlifting experience. As well as this, several other gears or support braces are necessary to wear, such as back support braces, knee braces, and ankle braces, to keep yourself safe during your workout session.
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Symptoms of wrist and hand injuries
Symptoms of wrist and hand injuries may be different, depending upon the nature and severity of the injuries. However, the following are the common symptoms you may feel when you hurt your hands or wrists during the gym or other weightlifting training:
- Pain: Pain is the primary symptom of hands or wrist injuries during the gym or weightlifting training. Whenever you feel pain, you must leave the gym and diagnose the problem, causing pain in your wrists and hands.
- Swelling: Some issues may also cause swelling around your wrist joints or hands.
- Tenderness and warmness: A feeling of tenderness and warmness is another symptom when you hurt your hands or wrists during the gym or other workout routines.
- Bruising: Bruising happens when you hurt your hands or wrists to such an extent that the skin around your wrists or hands becomes discoloured. Discolouration usually happens due to tissue injuries.
- Loss of motion: Sever injuries such as wrist or hand fractures make you feel the inability to move your hands or wrists.
- Weakness: You may also feel weakness around your wrist joints and ligaments, making it difficult to grip any object.
Common wrist and hand injuries
The following are the common wrist and hand injuries found in the gym or weightlifting trainers:
1. Wrist sprains: A wrist sprain happens when you hurt or tear any of the ligaments in your wrists. Your wrist comprises wight carpal tunnel bones that connect the radius and ulna to the hand. As well as this, plenty of tendons and ligaments hold together the wrist joint. Therefore, there is potential for a wrist sprain. You may feel a sharp pain at the time of the incident, and swelling appears on the affected areas.
2. Finger sprains: A finger sprain happens when you hurt or tear any of the ligaments in your fingers. Usually, a finger sprain happens when you unnaturally bend your finger. Sharp pain occurs in the affected area, and one may also face swelling on the affected finger.
3. Carpal Tunnel Syndrom: Excessive pressure on the maiden nerve during weightlifting can cause carpal tunnel syndrome.
4. Wrist tendinitis: Repeatedly lifting heavy weight may put the hand or wrist tendons under strain, causing tendonitis.
5. Wrist fracture: Wrist and hand fractures usually happen when you forcefully hit the equipment or fall on the ground on your overstretched hand.
Treatments for wrist and hand injuries
Depending upon the severity of the injury, healthcare professionals suggest conservative measures or surgical treatments. The following are the possible treatment plans for hands or wrist injuries resulting from the gym and weightlifting training or sessions:
1. Conservative measures
Mild to moderate wrist and hand injury symptoms may recover through conservative measures, including rest, ice massage, compression, elevating the injured area, and taking over-the-counter medicines.
2. Surgical treatments
Surgical treatments are necessary when the conservative measures do not respond after following conservative measures for a long time. Your healthcare professionals suggest surgical treatments based on the severity and nature of the injury:
Preventive measures for wrist and hand injuries
Experts suggest the following preventive measures to help gym enthusiasts and weightlifters to get an injury-free experience:
- Warm up your body correctly before starting every workout or training session.
- Wear proper equipment, such as wrist support braces and other gears, to keep your joints and tendons safe while lifting heavy weight.
- Perform stretching and strengthening exercises regularly to keep your body active.
- Keep your posture good and follow the proper technique for lifting weight
- Do not lift too much weight too quickly. But, perform every activity under your professional trainers’ guidance.
