Constant wrist pain

davis

Ok, this has been bugging me for a while, and the friendly local physio is likely to tell me to MTFU and stop being such a queen, so here goes:

I've got pains in my left wrist pretty much all the time. I strongly suspect it's cycling-related, as I believe it developed while riding. It's immediately to the lateral side (outside) of the bony protrusion on my wrist, and it's somewhat helped by working that bony bit with my other hand.

I'm on a road bike most of the time, vary my hand positions a lot (and I do mean that), but I still get it when on the (gasp) hybrid, or when (gasper) not cycling for a few days.
I've tried playing with saddle tilt on both bikes, and strengthening my wrist -- with a Powerball, before you raise them eyebrows!

Any ideas on fixing it? Or should I just buy a delightful tiara like the physio suggests?

kelsen

Try switching hands...FNAR FNAR!

davis

Mid-stroke? Blimey, I'm trying to avoid injury!

UndercoverElephant

I think the problem is due to your position on the bikes. You shouldn't really need to weight-bear on your wrists if you're set-up correctly. Try to let go of the bars gently and see what your body does, your trunk muscles *should* hold you in place.

EKE_38BPM

Have you had an accident that ended up with you flying over the handlebars and trying to protect yourself by putting your hands out? I have and my left wrist has never been the same.
X-rays and physio saw nothing amiss, but I still feel some pain (better than a full on face-plant, though|)..

davis

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I think the problem is due to your position on the bikes. You shouldn't really need to weight-bear on your wrists if you're set-up correctly. Try to let go of the bars gently and see what your body does, your trunk muscles *should* hold you in place.

Should I start letting go when in the drops, hoods, or on the flats? I.e. are you saying my trunk *should* be able to support my body in the "in the drops" position? I'll have a crack at that, but I seriously doubt they could.

As for position, I did a long'un on Sunday, and was completely fine. Well, apart from my wrist.

Oh, and @Eke: No crashes in recent memory.

UndercoverElephant

davis wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I think the problem is due to your position on the bikes. You shouldn't really need to weight-bear on your wrists if you're set-up correctly. Try to let go of the bars gently and see what your body does, your trunk muscles *should* hold you in place.

Should I start letting go when in the drops, hoods, or on the flats? I.e. are you saying my trunk *should* be able to support my body in the "in the drops" position? I'll have a crack at that, but I seriously doubt they could.

As for position, I did a long'un on Sunday, and was completely fine. Well, apart from my wrist.

Oh, and @Eke: No crashes in recent memory.

Yup, in all positions. I'm not saying ride no-handed, but you can just try releasing the weight as you ride along. Even if it's not completely, you'll strengthen the muscles and it'll help.

davis

UndercoverElephant wrote:

davis wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I think the problem is due to your position on the bikes. You shouldn't really need to weight-bear on your wrists if you're set-up correctly. Try to let go of the bars gently and see what your body does, your trunk muscles *should* hold you in place.

Should I start letting go when in the drops, hoods, or on the flats? I.e. are you saying my trunk *should* be able to support my body in the "in the drops" position? I'll have a crack at that, but I seriously doubt they could.

As for position, I did a long'un on Sunday, and was completely fine. Well, apart from my wrist.

Oh, and @Eke: No crashes in recent memory.

Yup, in all positions. I'm not saying ride no-handed, but you can just try releasing the weight as you ride along. Even if it's not completely, you'll strengthen the muscles and it'll help.

Blimey. I've pretty much been holding at least some of my weight on my hands forever. I can ride no handed, but I /think/ as soon as I lean forward I'd have to take some weight on my hands.
Perhaps I should start doing the Plank and some press-ups with some enthusiasm!

Thanks!

UndercoverElephant

I should point out that I rest at least some of my weight on my hands too, but I am trying to lessen it.

Edit: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html#posture

As always...

MonkeyMonster

it could of be related to the fact you likely sit in front a pc all day - the pain merely manifests itself when cycling but your computer posture might need looked?

davis

MonkeyMonster wrote:

it could of be related to the fact you likely sit in front a pc all day - the pain merely manifests itself when cycling but your computer posture might need looked?

Oh... good point. We've had an office switch around fairly recently. I've completely changed desk, chair, angle, etc.

Thanks, really worth looking at moving around a bit.

*ponders.

lost_in_thought

davis wrote:

MonkeyMonster wrote:

it could of be related to the fact you likely sit in front a pc all day - the pain merely manifests itself when cycling but your computer posture might need looked?

Oh... good point. We've had an office switch around fairly recently. I've completely changed desk, chair, angle, etc.

Thanks, really worth looking at moving around a bit.

*ponders.

Your work should give you a free ergonomics assessment every time there's a desk move... in reality few do, but you could ask!

And yeah, your trunk should be able to hold you up if you're in the right position. Try pilates!

Headhuunter

davis wrote:

MonkeyMonster wrote:

it could of be related to the fact you likely sit in front a pc all day - the pain merely manifests itself when cycling but your computer posture might need looked?

Oh... good point. We've had an office switch around fairly recently. I've completely changed desk, chair, angle, etc.

Thanks, really worth looking at moving around a bit.

*ponders.

Sounds like you need to build those core muscles! Cyclists often have disproportionately powerful legs/thighs and are unable to balance the forces their legs push through their bodies with balance in the core. I often notice cyclists whose bodies seem to weave and wriggle about all over the place as they push hard on the pedals, manifestation of a weak core, or at least in relation to power output from the legs. If you strengthen the core it also gives you better control and balance on the bike overall.

On the subject of the wrist though, it may be mouse use at work? I have started to try use my left hand for the mouse now and then to balance things out, as I sometimes get aching in my right wrist

davis

Hmm. I'm a right hander, so I doubt it's mouse use that's causing pain in the left wrist. I've tried simply rearranging my desk and raising my chair slightly so my trunk and wrists are at a different angle, and I'll probably vary it a bit from now on.
I don't really fancy the ergonomic assessment option as we're a fairly relaxed place, and they'd let me sit on an orange crate if I fancied it. Adding corporate responsibility would damage some of the reason I like working here.

I'll take a look at core exercises too, although most of these seem terrifically dull. Still worth it, though.

Thanks for the suggestions, all.

Headhuunter

davis wrote:

Hmm. I'm a right hander, so I doubt it's mouse use that's causing pain in the left wrist. I've tried simply rearranging my desk and raising my chair slightly so my trunk and wrists are at a different angle, and I'll probably vary it a bit from now on.
I don't really fancy the ergonomic assessment option as we're a fairly relaxed place, and they'd let me sit on an orange crate if I fancied it. Adding corporate responsibility would damage some of the reason I like working here.

I'll take a look at core exercises too, although most of these seem terrifically dull. Still worth it, though.

Thanks for the suggestions, all.

Look up core exercises on the net to get a proper understanding of what they are. You suggest that you will do sit ups - sit ups are NOT a core exercise. You need to strengthen the back and micro muscles that hold your trunk and spine up.

lost_in_thought

Headhuunter wrote:

davis wrote:

Hmm. I'm a right hander, so I doubt it's mouse use that's causing pain in the left wrist. I've tried simply rearranging my desk and raising my chair slightly so my trunk and wrists are at a different angle, and I'll probably vary it a bit from now on.
I don't really fancy the ergonomic assessment option as we're a fairly relaxed place, and they'd let me sit on an orange crate if I fancied it. Adding corporate responsibility would damage some of the reason I like working here.

I'll take a look at core exercises too, although most of these seem terrifically dull. Still worth it, though.

Thanks for the suggestions, all.

Look up core exercises on the net to get a proper understanding of what they are. You suggest that you will do sit ups - sit ups are NOT a core exercise. You need to strengthen the back and micro muscles that hold your trunk and spine up.

It's really worth going along to a pilates class (it's not just for girls) to get an idea of what you need to be doing. Before I went to one I didn't even know which ones my core muscles were...

davis

Headhuunter wrote:

davis wrote:

Hmm. I'm a right hander, so I doubt it's mouse use that's causing pain in the left wrist. I've tried simply rearranging my desk and raising my chair slightly so my trunk and wrists are at a different angle, and I'll probably vary it a bit from now on.
I don't really fancy the ergonomic assessment option as we're a fairly relaxed place, and they'd let me sit on an orange crate if I fancied it. Adding corporate responsibility would damage some of the reason I like working here.

I'll take a look at core exercises too, although most of these seem terrifically dull. Still worth it, though.

Thanks for the suggestions, all.

Look up core exercises on the net to get a proper understanding of what they are. You suggest that you will do sit ups - sit ups are NOT a core exercise. You need to strengthen the back and micro muscles that hold your trunk and spine up.

I said press ups, not sit ups... I understood that sit ups do the abs, which are at the very front, and don't have much to do with core strength. I'll definitely look around to find some core muscle exercise though (might be considering yoga too).

LiT: I probably won't do a class though... It's not just the "it's for girls!" thing: I've got a real mental block to doing "group"-type training. I've never been to a gym, and about the closest I came to something like that was Kung Fu for a few years until I found out that it really, really hurt. Would you need an instructor to even start Pilates?

Headhuunter

davis wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

davis wrote:

Hmm. I'm a right hander, so I doubt it's mouse use that's causing pain in the left wrist. I've tried simply rearranging my desk and raising my chair slightly so my trunk and wrists are at a different angle, and I'll probably vary it a bit from now on.
I don't really fancy the ergonomic assessment option as we're a fairly relaxed place, and they'd let me sit on an orange crate if I fancied it. Adding corporate responsibility would damage some of the reason I like working here.

I'll take a look at core exercises too, although most of these seem terrifically dull. Still worth it, though.

Thanks for the suggestions, all.

Look up core exercises on the net to get a proper understanding of what they are. You suggest that you will do sit ups - sit ups are NOT a core exercise. You need to strengthen the back and micro muscles that hold your trunk and spine up.

I said press ups, not sit ups... I understood that sit ups do the abs, which are at the very front, and don't have much to do with core strength. I'll definitely look around to find some core muscle exercise though (might be considering yoga too).

LiT: I probably won't do a class though... It's not just the "it's for girls!" thing: I've got a real mental block to doing "group"-type training. I've never been to a gym, and about the closest I came to something like that was Kung Fu for a few years until I found out that it really, really hurt. Would you need an instructor to even start Pilates?

OK but press ups only help the core to a small extent, but their primary focus is the chest and upper body

lost_in_thought

davis wrote:

LiT: I probably won't do a class though... It's not just the "it's for girls!" thing: I've got a real mental block to doing "group"-type training. I've never been to a gym, and about the closest I came to something like that was Kung Fu for a few years until I found out that it really, really hurt. Would you need an instructor to even start Pilates?

What I found was that when I started doing it without a proper instructor, I could make the right shapes, but was using the wrong muscles - for example, if you've got quite well-developed thigh muscles, if you're not quite doing it right, you can use the thighs to hold a position rather than the core, and that's not going to help your core at all!

When I then went along to a class I found out what I was doing wrong, as well as how bloody hard pilates can be!

If you really object to classes, a good PT (IP on here's sister is one) should be able to school you in Pilates/similar.

davis

Okey doke, it sounds like I've got the right idea (embiggen the core muscles), but the wrong execution (crappy exercise choices). I'll have a think, 'cos I really don't fancy carrying on like this.

ta.

itsbruce

Good core exercises:

• Plank
• Crunches or Reverse Crunches
• Turkish get up

UndercoverElephant

itsbruce wrote:

Good core exercises:

• Plank
• Crunches or Reverse Crunches
• Turkish get up

What, wearing a Fes and curly-whirly shoes?

Being a natural fidget, I find sitting on a swiss-ball whilst at my desk does wonders for my trunk muscles. Good for posture too. Mine's bright yellow and looks a bit like Mr. Happy.

MonkeyMonster

Its a Fez - one of the best 3 letter scrabble words you can have