wrist protectors. overkill/paranoia for trail riding?

bregante

after two recent offs on the bike I am seriously thinking about getting summat like these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=wrist

about two months ago I went over the bars and hurt my left wrist. I thought it was the dreaded scaphoid but it turned out to be just badly bruised, although it affected my work for a few days. Anyway, I had an identical spill last week and dismissed the similar pain in the wrist for 48 hrs before going to a&e.

It turns out I have broken the trapezioid (bone next to the scaphoid) and can't drive/work for at least 4 weeks as I now have a full cast on the arm.

To be honest, it's not so much the missing out on riding, which is bad enough, but my work are not impressed with staff that hurt themselves doing "extreme sports" and I have to be practical. Have even thought (briefly) about knocking it on the head, selling the MTB's and going to the dark side as a less risky alternative. What I couldn't do is tame down the riding. Tried that and it just doesn't work for me.

So, back to my question. Does anybody out there use wrist protection for general trail/xc riding or am I being paranoid? Do they work? Are they comfortable?

cheers :?

furby

Certainly wouldnt be a bad idea esp as you have got an old/existing injury. Most of my current riding is XC and id say it is abit OTT for that but as I getting more in to DH/FR/AM and have a bad wrist from an old break I will certainly buying some sort of wrist support.

missmarple

I thought I was in the same situation as you a few weeks ago, it isn't paranoia as I too feel that my wrists can be weak at times. I certainly think a support will help, a stiffer one than the bog standard medical elastic with a toughened outer-layer should do the job.

ride_whenever

Learn how to fall better.

Sounds like you're falling onto outstretched hands, learn to tuck and roll instead.

Try getting a powerball to strengthen the muscles in your forearms and wrists to give you more support.

Josh censored used to say that muscle is the best body armour, although he did break his back/pelvis (cannot remember right now) so perhaps he isn't the most sensible person.

stevet1992

I wore a set of basic wrist protectors at afan as well i come off like a censored days before over a jump and managed to do 10mph to handstand ... ouch ! Best not risk it i thought !

P-Jay

Couldn't hurt. I've just broken my wrist and have a plate / screws now so will be rocking one of them soon enough.

Yeah we could all learn to land a little more gracefully, bit it isn't always possible.

bregante

ride_whenever wrote:

Learn how to fall better.

I know what you mean but I'm obviously just not quick/co-ordinated enough because I'm down on the deck before I know it and it's clealy just a reflex thing.

teacherman

Not only learn how to fall better but also learn how to lie!

For example: Q. Did you break your wrist mountain biking? A. No. No I didn't.

See easy.

diy

But will those supports actually prevent the injuries you are seeking to prevent. It amazes me that such products are allowed to make personal protective equipment claims without any proper testing. There is no CE mark on any of them.

I think you need one with ribbing in for it to stand any chance of preventing the damage you are trying to prevent. Post up which one you go for and let us know if its any good - I also have a wrist injury (old motorbike injury aggravated by MTB crashes)

If you look at your typical bike wrist break you need some fairly hefty protection..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa9M0ew4 ... r_embedded

see above - the wrist folds right back at impact

XxxBFGxxX

teacherman wrote:

learn how to lie!

For example: Q. Did you break your wrist mountain biking? A. No. No I didn't.

See easy.

+1 for lieing better lol. i did it few weeks ago came of broke my coller bone 0f roading told work i got ran of the road while road riding. lmfao

bregante

just too honest...... plus, it's a bit obvious when you leave the office one day with your bike on the back of your car, then the next day you have to ring in sick with broken bones.

Kiblams

Are these the same wrist guards as skateboarders/inliners use? I used t use them when riding on skateparks on my inlines, the had a stiff peice of plastic up the bottom of your wrist which curved around to the palm of your hand.

They certainly stopped me hurting my wrists a load of times, though if I wasn't wearing elbow pads of any kind I used to hurt my arms as the plastic would have zero grip on the wood, thus my hands slipping away from me and my arms taking th brunt of the fall. Thinking about it though; on a MTB this isnt an issue as the ground is rough...

Eventually you just learn to fall properly, which for skating was hands up to your shoulders (stops you sticking them out and snapping them) while pushing your chin into your chest and trying to spread your weight across your shoulders and arms (like chicken dance arms position)

I never hit my head because it was tucked in (didn't used to wear a helmet as a kid) and managed to avoid any broken bones.

I'm not sure how relevant this is to MTB though as it is much faster, over rough ground and you have much less time to prepare for the hit.

cee

absolutely tuck and roll has worked for me....

but if you feel more comfortable using something....it doesn't really matter what anyone else says....use it.

P-Jay

I didn't expect them to do much in a crash, I was looking at the more of a support that can take a bit of stick.

Speaking of tuck and roll, it's just dawned on me that however I landed made sod all difference to my wrist. I was still very much on board my bike when I broke it.

cee

P-Jay wrote:

I didn't expect them to do much in a crash, I was looking at the more of a support that can take a bit of stick.

Speaking of tuck and roll, it's just dawned on me that however I landed made sod all difference to my wrist. I was still very much on board my bike when I broke it.

abandon ship??

totally agree though...my worst injuries have been when i havn't got free of the bike before the splat

P-Jay

cee wrote:

P-Jay wrote:

I didn't expect them to do much in a crash, I was looking at the more of a support that can take a bit of stick.

Speaking of tuck and roll, it's just dawned on me that however I landed made sod all difference to my wrist. I was still very much on board my bike when I broke it.

abandon ship??

totally agree though...my worst injuries have been when i havn't got free of the bike before the splat

Oh I got off it pretty quick!, right over the bars.

UncleMonty

Good idea, have the hospital told you how long to leave it before you should ride ?

I broke two fingers at Dalby last December, they told me 6 months before they are stong enough to ride with and 12 months before they are back to normal.

I knew work would be pissed at me so i told them I slipped down some ladders doing some DIY, apparently that was perfectly acceptable

Nero50

I have also been considering getting one of these types of wrist guards for when I get to get back on the bike - currently have left arm in cast due to breaking my scaphoid, and im going crazy not being able to ride! Have almost just said what the hell and gone out anyway a couple of times.
I would be very interested to hear if you get one, and comments on what its like, i was thinking of one more for support whilst riding until my wrist has strengthened up, and hopefully no more crashes :oops:

ads678

I would avoid the Dakine/Demon ones. I have used this type for Skating/Snowboarding before and not only are they really uncomfortable, they have a plastic covered metal stirp that comes donw the wrist and bends into the palm of your hand. I would have thought this would have made it virtually impossible to hold onto your handle bars properly.

There has been a fair amount of research done by some doctors into wrist injuries in snowsports, so you might want to have a quick scan over this > http://www.ski-injury.com/prevention/wrist_guards before choosing whether to wear them. Ok i know snow sports and MTB are totally different but the website does give a decent insight into wrist guards for anyone new to them.

Personally i don't wear wristguards for mountian biking or snowboarding any more, i just learned to fall well. like others have said tuck and roll. go with the fall, it when you try to stop yourself that you hurt yourself.

jairaj

I've just recovered from a broken scaphoid bone and am currently wearing a 661 wrist wrap pro to help support my wrist while it gets stronger.

Its designed with an open palm so you can hold the handle bars properly and use gloves etc. It seems to work by using a stiff foam on top of your wrist to resist it overextending. The straps that go around your wrist also helps to bind your wrist together and give it more strength.

I've been using it for a few weeks now and I think its ok. I don't think it would stop you breaking your wrist as Im sure the foam would give way at high force but it seems strong enough to prevent most wrist sprains. I like the open palm and it also the bit of flex so your wrist is still free to move a bit and not rigidly held in place like some of the snowboarding guards I've seen and isn't overly sweaty either. I find my wrist can handle the bumps of off-road cycling without hurting so much and I can cycle for longer without my wrist getting tired. Currently this is the main reason I wear it; for extra support not really to prevent another break.

hope that helps?

bregante

jairaj wrote:

I've just recovered from a broken scaphoid bone and am currently wearing a 661 wrist wrap pro to help support my wrist while it gets stronger.

hope that helps?

Cheers for the advice. that's the one I am looking at. no rush though, Dr says it will be next year before I can even think about getting back on the bike.

censored

stunter ant

Tuck and roll But seriously why not wear them if it makes you feel confident and in turn pushes your riding its gotta be a good thing?! And help you get back on the bike having fun again!

Since breaking my ankle in june i wear ankle braces and they really give you a shed load of support, if i didnt have one on my bag ankle id still be sat at home bored

jools182

I snowboard and the only wrist guards which have been properly tested and proven are the flexmeter ones

http://www.alpsgear.co.uk/Snow-Sports/Flexmeter-Wrist-Guards

not sure how they would work on a bike, but I might give mine a test run out and see

bregante

jools182 wrote:

I snowboard and the only wrist guards which have been properly tested and proven are the flexmeter ones

http://www.alpsgear.co.uk/Snow-Sports/Flexmeter-Wrist-Guards

not sure how they would work on a bike, but I might give mine a test run out and see

if you do, please let us know how you get on. If you could go over the bars for us a few times that would be even better!!!

jools182

I might have no choice in the matter

jairaj

Bregante wrote:

Cheers for the advice. that's the one I am looking at. no rush though, Dr says it will be next year before I can even think about getting back on the bike.

sorry to hear that mate, hope you get better soon. The one bit of advice I will give is listen to the precautions and exercises you are told to do and stick to them religiously.

I was told to wiggle my fingers and hand in the cast as often as possible. This sped up the healing time, reduced stiffness and muscle atrophy. I also did all the physio exercises I was told to do. The physiotherapist was surprised at how quickly I recovered and after two weeks I didn't have to go back. I still have to do the exercises tho.

welshkev

when i was younger i used to do a lot of skateboarding and i fell off and broke my wrist. after that i always wore wrist guards, i used to get the occasional comment from people taking the pi$$ but at the end of the day it made me feel a lot safer and confident.

so go with what you feel man, there's no right or wrong answer

bregante

should have asked the doctor this really, and it may sound a daft question but I need to do something to maintain some level of fitness. if i was to go running, would the constant movement of the arm potentially prolong my recovery??

jairaj

When I broke my scaphoid I was told i can do what ever I want as long as I don't impact the wrist. Shaking it up and down while running is OK but try to minimise it by using the rest of the arm and shoulder as suspension for your wrist and if it starts to hurt then stop.

But my circumstances could be different to yours, if in doubt get touch with a doctor.

ride_whenever

Can't see an issue with the fleximeter guards if you've got your controls set up right so your wrist lies flat.

Mastineo

I use a 661 wrist wrap on my left arm as my hand is paralysed and any sudden stops or impacts makes my wrist roll over, often resulting in a sprain. The 661 wrist wrap limits this roll over movement resulting in much less pain and much more enjoyment!
Recommended.
I also wear knee pads and only really ride xc :oops:
Bit of a wuss really. Disabled wuss, but a wuss none the less.
100th post!!!!