Gymnast's Wrist

[nevertooold]

I have a gymnast who has chronic, intermittent wrist pain. She has been diagnosed with "gymnast's wrist" by our local ortho dr's.

She is just turned 11, 2nd year level 7, pretty tiny.

I am not turning up much in my research that has been helpful.

Does anyone have any advice, strengthening exercises tips, or personal experience with this.

Thank you.

 

[gymdog]

Huh, yeah...I don't think that's really a standard diagnosis, but I'm guessing it's probably some tendonitis.

 

[gymnut29]

I would agree with it probably being tendonitis...wrists werent created to be stood on most of the time! Does she wear tiger paws or some other wrist support? I would reccomend looking into those. As for strength stuff if its bad enough that is preventing her from vaulting or tumbling I would go to a physical therapist to get better results.

Some that I remember:

Hold arms straight out with a light weight in each hand lift hands up and down and from side to side. Spell the alphabet with the weights using only wrists to move hands. (This can even be done with a text book, start light and build up the weight to increase strength)

Handstands on the floor and on floor bars, if on the floor hurts a floor bar takes a little of the pressure off till she can build back up to the floor.

Using a theraband tied to something away from you palms facing up holding the band pulls hands toward body this is a good overall forearm one.

A lot of time weak wrists are because of overall weak arms make sure all the muscles are being worked together.

 

[nevertooold]

Gymnast wrist (distal radial epiphysitis)

Gymnast wrist is irritation and inflammation of the growth plate (epiphysis) at the end of the radius (forearm bone) where it connects to the hand to form the wrist.

Here is an article about "Gymnast wrist"
Institute for Sports Medicine - Gymnast wrist (distal radial epiphysitis) - Children's Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL)

Does not include exercises to strengthen, though.

 

[gym monkeys mom]

BTW my DD was diagnosed with this last spring bilatereally. It is not a made up disorder to apease parents as suggested. She did have to have a MRI which showed no long term damage we were lucky. If not treated you can damage the growth plates and it will quit growing. This would not be good.


Search distal radial epiphysitis Gymnast wrist is only a slang name for it. Also if you have a sports medicine doctor in the area they are somtimes better at this stuff than an orthopedist not trained in sports medicine.

Basically she could do nothing with her wrists for 6 weeks. So jumps, turns, leaps and core strengthening is what she did. When she started back she did things slow and got tiger paws for tumbling.

Good luck rest ice and time healed my DD. We never did find many strengthen exercises for it it.

I do beleive my DD was realted to a growth spurt she had at this time also after the rest she has been fine.

Best of luck!

 

[gymnastshorty795]

getting tigerpaws or golden hands will probably help

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

I have lower hand/wrist pain as well and when I got x-rays, there wasn't anything big wrong. The doctor did say that there was a gap on the outside of my wrist (by my pinkie finger) and a "crunch" on the inside (by my thumb) which is common in gymnasts - we tumble with our hands turned in!

 

[gymnut1]

We had a girl suffering from this and a reiki healer helped her.

 

[LisaSchultz100]

"Gymnast Wrist" is very real and very common.

I'm 43 and competed back from age 10-13. My wrist problems started then and I am now at the point of needing surgery. My ortho x-rayed and saw that I have a positive ulnar variance, which means that my radius' growth was stunted (most likely during my gymnastics years). This can be very debilitating. If a gymnast is complaining of wrist pain, I highly encourage that they be taken seriously and treated by a competent doctor, so that no permanent damage is done.

 

[LizzieLac]

We went to ortho for foot pain and received the same diagnosis - inflammation of the growth plate (just in her foot, below the big toe). The doc said that the growth plate inflammation in the feet and wrists of young gymnasts is common - think of all the shock they must absorb. So long as it has not been going on for a long time, rest, ice and ibuprofen usually do the trick.

However, if the pain continues you must go back to the doc and possibly get an MRI to be sure there has been no serious injury.

 

[gym law mom]

Treatment is going to be different depending on the severity, age of the gymnast and level she/he is at. My gymmie was just diagnosed with this when she saw the pediatric ortho for her knee. It was one of those "by the way questions." She had x-rays done which showed her growth plates basically closed and the orho felt her pain would be resolving over the next 6 mos or so, however she is to tape her wrists for all 4 events and use tiger paws on vault(was already doing this). She said she can feel a difference on bars already(taped wrists under grips) and its a little better on floor.

We were assured there would be no permanent damage.

Wrists are tough to diagnose, so best to have a kid with wrist pain see a md.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

Daughter had this was in a cast for 6 weeks to prevent her from tumbling. She also went to physical therapy for a month. Now she wears wrist supports. I would definitely see a doctor to get the correct diagnosis and treatment. I put it off because she was in meet season and was afraid she would not be able to compete and it probally just prolonged the recovery.