No matter what reason you are wearing a wrist brace for there are some tips that you should adhere to in order to get the most from them.
The first tip is to buy a wrist brace that is the right size. You can find some at the drugstore and they are generally labeled as child, small, medium, large and extra large. The measurements usually go by the circumference of the wrist and are made to go around and have a place to rest your palm and a forearm length based on a regular sized person with that size of wrist. For 95% of individuals in the world, those wrist brace sizes are the proper size. When they are not the appropriate size the problem is usually that they are too small when wrapped around the forearm.
Second, make sure that you're tightening them in a manner appropriate for your injury. Wrist braces give their benefit by keeping you from accidentally flexing your wrist in a way that would further your injury. The type of injury you have will determine which axis of rotation your wrist needs immobilization in.
If you are using a wrist brace for tendonitis, then tighten it so that it prevents lateral movement of the wrist. To determine this just put your hand straight out from your wrist, this is the plane defined by your thumb and pinkie and should be the parameters that your wrist's motion is limited within.
If you are trying to treat carpal tunnel syndrome, you should prevent your wrist from bending downward at all or even upward by more than a few inches. You should also take care to have appropriate padding in your wrist brace when treating carpal tunnel syndrome.
Wrist braces that are created to restrain the wrist because of a sprain must be able to totally restrain it in both areas of movement, and generally should cover more of the upper arm too because that is where the ligaments that manage wrist motion run, and might look like Ace bandages rather than a regular wrist brace.
Staying comfortable when wearing a wrist brace will require you to look for stuff on the inside surface such as seams or loose threads that may irritate the skin. Some individuals advise to wrap the hand and wrist and lower forearm in some gauze before wearing the wrist brace. This will provide a buffer, will absorb sweat, and will keep the seams for the brace from rubbing against your skin. Keep your wrist brace clean by washing it twice a week and you can even run it through the washer or dryer without damage.
Don't over tighten your wrist brace. It should be snug, but should not constrict the blood flow to the wrist or hand. There's a temptation in a lot of people to run the straps as tight as they can go. Put it on, tighten it up and do some routine work, then loosen appropriately. (As a hint, use a sharpie marker to write how tight the straps should go once you've figured this out.)
The first tip is to buy a wrist brace that is the right size. You can find some at the drugstore and they are generally labeled as child, small, medium, large and extra large. The measurements usually go by the circumference of the wrist and are made to go around and have a place to rest your palm and a forearm length based on a regular sized person with that size of wrist. For 95% of individuals in the world, those wrist brace sizes are the proper size. When they are not the appropriate size the problem is usually that they are too small when wrapped around the forearm.
Second, make sure that you're tightening them in a manner appropriate for your injury. Wrist braces give their benefit by keeping you from accidentally flexing your wrist in a way that would further your injury. The type of injury you have will determine which axis of rotation your wrist needs immobilization in.
If you are using a wrist brace for tendonitis, then tighten it so that it prevents lateral movement of the wrist. To determine this just put your hand straight out from your wrist, this is the plane defined by your thumb and pinkie and should be the parameters that your wrist's motion is limited within.
If you are trying to treat carpal tunnel syndrome, you should prevent your wrist from bending downward at all or even upward by more than a few inches. You should also take care to have appropriate padding in your wrist brace when treating carpal tunnel syndrome.
Wrist braces that are created to restrain the wrist because of a sprain must be able to totally restrain it in both areas of movement, and generally should cover more of the upper arm too because that is where the ligaments that manage wrist motion run, and might look like Ace bandages rather than a regular wrist brace.
Staying comfortable when wearing a wrist brace will require you to look for stuff on the inside surface such as seams or loose threads that may irritate the skin. Some individuals advise to wrap the hand and wrist and lower forearm in some gauze before wearing the wrist brace. This will provide a buffer, will absorb sweat, and will keep the seams for the brace from rubbing against your skin. Keep your wrist brace clean by washing it twice a week and you can even run it through the washer or dryer without damage.
Don't over tighten your wrist brace. It should be snug, but should not constrict the blood flow to the wrist or hand. There's a temptation in a lot of people to run the straps as tight as they can go. Put it on, tighten it up and do some routine work, then loosen appropriately. (As a hint, use a sharpie marker to write how tight the straps should go once you've figured this out.)
About the Author:
Tom Nicholson spends his time helping carpal tunnel sufferers. You can click here to find out more regarding having asore wrist.
No comments:
Post a Comment