Wrist Brace

Wrist Braces Are Useful For Fixing Wrist Pain

One of the most common complaints in post industrial societies is wrist pain; documented back to the Industrial Revolution as "weaver's wrists", it actually covers a lot of conditions. One of the most common tools to aid in the recovery of wrist pain is a wrist brace.

Most wrist pain in modern use is triggered from one of three things: Tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome or a sprain. (some people who do more active things can get broken wrists.) What wrist braces are supposed to do differs a little bit on each of these, and an accurate diagnosis will help you set up your wrist brace and speed your recovery.

For tendonitis, the tendon sheath gets inflamed from over use - this is common with athletes doing sports that put a lot of torque on the wrist, like racketball or tennis. A wrist brace, in this case, is meant to keep the tendon sheathe from moving; it's usually done in conjunction with anti inflammatory drugs or icing the wrist, and the brace is removed for physical therapy. A brace in this case usually allows the wrist to flex up or down, but not side to side.

Carpal tunnel syndrome comes from compression and inflammation of the nerve sheathe for the median nerve that runs over the joint of the wrist. Common symptoms include not only wrist pain, but 'funny bone' pinched nerves in the hand (at the base of the fingers, the base of the thumbs) and all the way up the forearm to the elbow.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is triggered by repetitive stress injuries - typing too much or using a mouse too much. In extreme cases, it can impair the use of the hand. Wrist braces for carpal tunnel syndrome try to keep the wrist from moving vertically, as the usual cause of this problem stems from bad 'typing posture', where people keep their wrists immobile at an angle where the nerve can be compressed.

Good wrist braces for carpal tunnel syndrome are nearly identical to a wrist brace for tendonitis, they're just adjusted differently - they're usually not as tight on lateral motion, and offer more support to the underside or inside of the wrist. Most will also have a rigid insert on the underside of the wrist to keep you from flexing your wrist like a hinge.

Wrist sprains and wrist breaks are the result of injuries to the ligaments around the wrist joints; unlike tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, these are likely to get better without extreme amounts of physical therapy. A wrist brace for a sprain is designed to immobilize the wrist and keep you from flexing it in any direction. It also really hampers how you can use the affected hand a great deal.

No matter what ailment you get a wrist brace for, make sure to take the time to read the instructions on your wrist brace. When putting it on, try not to tighten it to the point where it'll constrict blood flow…and if you're suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, wear it any time you feel a twinge. Read more about wrist braces here.