Beam BHS wrist pain???

[gymjourneymom]

My dd is level 6 & starting to learn beam BHS. She's been complaining that it "hurts her wrists(both)" while she's practicing beam & shortly after, but the pain "goes away on it's own" once she's done beam practice. Is this something that will get better as she gets stronger with her BHS or does she need physical therapy to strengthen her wrists??? My 1st thought was wrist supports...but after what I've read on other threads....sounds like that's not the answer. Any thoughts or experience with this situation??? This is the 1st time my dd as ever complained of a skill causing her physical discomfort.

[mkr10]

This is the first time I'm posting here but I have been reading and enjoying the site for a long time. My dd just finished her level 6 season and is also practicing her BHS and BSO on beam for level 7. Today she complained that one of her wrists hurts when doing a handstand (after having an hour private and doing many BSO and BHS only on floor). This is also the first time that she complained of any pain. I was wondering the exact same thing as you, does she need wrist supposrts? is this something she'll just have to deal with from now on? Would love to hear some opinions on this.

[charloadams]

Okay so first I'll ask you both if your DD's wrists are hurting when they are not doing anything? Or does it only hurt on one specific skill??? If the pain does not go away after one week or two I will definatly go see a doctor. Just tell your DD that if their wrist are hurting really bad then they should stop doing skills on their hands. Trust me. I'm going through the same thing right now. Well I have been for 7 months now. But at first I thought the pain would go away after a week or so, so I continued training on it. And thats why I had to stop gym now. Well I might go back later but right now its not healing. Hope that helps!!!

[gymjourneymom]

For my dd it's only the beam BHS that is causing her discomfort. It's both wrist.. on the underside. She does multiple floor BHS... no problem...does beam BWO... no discomfort. The pain, so far... is only during beam practice...when doing BHS. She says the pain goes away "shortly after beam is over", without any interventions(ice,etc.) I know she is nervous about this skill....and now this pain is making it more difficult for her to "go for it". They are just starting to practice them(BHS)...so she's not under a lot of pressure get the skill in a hurry and she's not doing a lot of them yet(but she will be over the summer). Just wondering if this is a problem others have encountered & what they did to help? Is it a strength or technique issue? Does it ever resolve on it's own? Are wrist supports really as evil as other threads here have made them sound??? Best wishes to both of you that have shown an interest in this thread I love this forum...can't wait to read what everyone has to say either. Thanks!

[kristilyn73]

If you really want to be sure I would say check with your doctor. That being said.. I think it sounds like an over use issue. This is the time of year where a lot of girls are done with their comp season and working new skills. All sorts of new pains start up....

It is very important that she keep up with her conditioning. Does she do any weight lifts for wrists? That will keep the muscles strong, which will help prevent sprains and other injuries.

As far as wrist supports go, I believe there is a time when they are useful. Our coach asks (not requires) that girls start to use a support when doing Yurchenko vaults. The repetative pounding can start to damage the smaller joints.

My DD had a wrist sprain last year. She was working BHS BHS on beam. over and over and over again.. after she had pain, she was on restriction for a couple weeks (traumatic for her), when she came back she was really tentative on beam. She was afraid of getting hurt again. It took her a while to get back to doing one handpring, much less two. As a matter of fact she went through a couple month period where she didnt do any. After having the skill for a year and a half she lost it. She now uses tape on beam (she uses tiger paws on Floor and vault). Just this little bit of reassurance is all she seems to need to be able to 'go for it' like you said.

Do I like the fact that she feels like she needs tape? No, But her coach isnt too concerned. DD also knows that she needs to keep up with conditioning and the weights.

Hope that helps!
Good Luck!

[hammy]

It could possibly just be an overuse thing, but I'm not a doctor. The strange thing is that when I did BHSs on beam it hurt a whole lot more than when I did them on floor (I have wrist problems though). I think it might have hurt more on beam because of the direct impact on a small surface, where as on floor it would be impact over more surface and spring. I wouldn't be too worried about it, being that it goes away and that it doesn't hurt outside of the gym or hurt constantly. Just kind of try to keep an eye on it.

It could also be from the way she puts her hands on the beam, also where her shoulders are in relation to her hand.

[gymnastmom96]

Wrist pain is tough. Lvl 6 working lvl 7 skills is a tough time. Learning bhs on beam and working giants too can cause painful swollen wrist. I dd has struggled for years. Not long ago she developed these awful "knots" over the tendons. We have tried everything including ice, heat, physical therapy, taping and even a personal trainer. Go online or ask her coach for strengthening exercises. My dd has a "wrist workout". She does in the car on the way to gym and on weekends, she does it twice a day. If she skips a day, she knows it at practice. The trick (with my dd) is consistency. Its more of a habit now. She does it while studying in the car.
Keep us updated!

[mkr10]

Thank you for all the answers. I guess it is a pretty common thing while learning and practicing a lot of beam BHS. I will ask the coach for some exercises and hope they will help.
It was also interesting to hear that the position of the shoulders could have something to do with it. I know my dd is having some issues with the position of her shoulders that she is working on fixing. Maybe once the position is fixed the pain will subside.
I will keep you posted.

[KBT]

I would discourage the use of wrist supports at this time and focus on wrist strength. The trouble with supports like Tiger Paws is once you start using them, it's nearly impossible to stop, partly because it will feel funny to do a BHS on beam without them, partly because most people rely on wrist supports as a substitute for strengthening the wrist. I believe there are very few gymnasts who actually "need" these supports because of genetically weak wrists or a wrist injury.

There's some interesting discussion about wrist strength here: http://gymnasticscoaching.com/?p=3370

[gymjourneymom]

Thanks for your replies My dd has just started to complain of this wrist pain (the last 3 practices)...I didn't get a chance to talk with her coach about it yet...but I'll try to get her opinion today. You're right...she has been practicing a lot of giants, as well as the beam BHS(I hadn't put 2 & 2 together yet, LOL!). My gut tells me that this may be minor right now(thank goodness!)...but as the push for level 7 gets closer, the pain from over use will increase. My 1st though was wrist supports...until I saw some posts on other threads. Now, a wrist strengthing program sounds like what she needs, to head this off at the path(thanks for that info!). Our gym has a physical therapist that comes to the gym(dd has never had to use her yet), I may ask for my dd to see her. Will also ask the coach if dd has good shoulder positoning during her beam BHS(thanks for that tip too!). I know she is nervous about doing BHS on the beam, I was thinking maybe she is tensing up & that may be part of it too??? DD has had prior mental block about going "backwards on the beam". Won't do her BWO for many months(that's why she's repeating level 6). She does BWO beautifully now...and I'm proud that she's trying to go for the BHS Don't want her to become "mentally dependant" on wrist supports or tape, unless it's what she really needs. Thank you all for replies You've given me lots of great advice! I'll let you know how she does!