Wrists

[derwood]

20 years or so of high impact sports has taken its toll.....

This year especially my wrists are killing me(scaphoid? area)and all the easy solutions arent working....what do I do,besides stop riding DH?

After about 2 minutes of riding I have to stop and shake em out......no,my set up hasnt changed...same bars brakes and stem for the past 3 years.

[polytics]

After about 2 minutes of riding I have to stop and shake em out......no,my set up hasnt changed...same bars brakes and stem for the past 3 years.

Try a more upright riding position?

More/Better suspension?

A plusher set of grips (re. Oury)?

A different sweep/length of handle bar?


I would try a riser bar with more sweep (putting your hands in a more natural position). I get sore wrists too and I'm planning (at some point) to try one of these: http://www.jonesbikes.com/hbar/default.asp partially for the multiple hand positions, but mostly for the more natural positioning of the hands.

If the Jones bar totally isn't your thing maybe consider a carbon bar with as much sweep as you can find? Carbon is rumored (I wouldn't know from experience) to dampen vibration.

[derwood]

Polytics.....you gotta be joking about those bars,right?

Im riding a Giant team DH....pretty upright,7 inches of fork travel.....I find fatter grips worse....makes the hands sore.

Im using easton EA50 bars....have been for a while,just having problems lately.

[Dalifted1]

gotta do the wrist stretch it helps me basically bend your hand straight back towards you and hold it for like 10 seconds do it both ways upper and lower should help out a bit or get a brace or tape it

[Roasted]

Have you thought about seeing a doc? There might be some solutions to your problem that could be permanent :)

[derwood]

Have you thought about seeing a doc? There might be some solutions to your problem that could be permanent :)
Last resort for me......

I have ethical problems with going to a doctor for a problem that only really affects bike riding...and work a little bit.Someone else needs that doctors time more than I do.

[IFO]

have you tried Specialized "body geomtery" gloves??

i know it sounds like a far shot, but u'd be surprized how much good those gloves can do for your hands/wrists...

rather then try to explian why the gloves work for certain people, just go here and read...

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=9970

heres a direct link to teh gloves i use... make sure u read up on the body goemtory part of teh glove... there is a link..

i noticed a huge difference in hand/wrist fatigue when i use these gloves and other "basic" gloves...

i used to ride some other body geomtory Spec. glvoes before these ones to... they reallyt worked for me....

hopefulyl it might help u out.

[mattj]

just because the pain started this season does not mean your set up is not at fault. Sometimes things don't cause pain at first and gradually lead to problems. Go see a physio. You won't have any ethical problems and you'll get better advice than some doctor who'll want to sell you (oh sorry , I mean "prescribe") zantrex or viagra....


-m

[derwood]

IFO.....hmmmm.....I used to wear those...Im on Dakine now....

Matt....viagra you say? Why does the trail look blue?

[aShogunNamedMarcus]

You could also try small weights for the wrists. The small 3lb, 5lb or 7lb dumbell's at a high rep could help in the long run. Just try curling the wrist toward the fore arm for one range of motion and another exercise could be just twisting the wrist in a controlled manner. I found these work more for arm fatigue but its worth a shot

[Lady Gravity]

You could also try small weights for the wrists. The small 3lb, 5lb or 7lb dumbell's at a high rep could help in the long run. Just try curling the wrist toward the fore arm for one range of motion and another exercise could be just twisting the wrist in a controlled manner. I found these work more for arm fatigue but its worth a shot

good idea. try squeezing a ball in your hand (clenching your fist) - it works all the tendons in your wrist also.

[powts]

2 things to help out - Ibuprofen to help with the inflammation which is causing the pain, and try and not grip so hard when riding. Get your Ibuprofen fix from Advil, not Aspirin....Aspirin will burn a hole in your guts after awhile.

[DaveM]

You're right about thick grips, I've found the thicker they are, the softer they are, and the harder you try to squeeze them to hang on.

Make sure your brake levers are in a good position so your wrists are straight when you're back off the saddle in "downhill position".

A couple of years ago my hands, wrists, and forearms used to get fatiqued all the time, turned out to be my new elbow pads were tighter than the old ones. Stopped fastening the middle strap and the problem went away.

As far as not seeing the doc, if was work you'd go. What gives you more pleasure in life, work or riding?

[feelmybrainwaves]

Two years ago I busted up both wrists. I went to doctors and took x-rays. No one could tell me what happened. I bought a wrist guard at danscomp.com, and I stretch before I ride now. Also I used medical tubing to do wrist exercises to get back into shape.

[Bukkake]

glucosamine. 3 times a day. Every pro athlete swears by it.

[cadence220]

glucosamine. 3 times a day. Every pro athlete swears by it. Yes I too can vouch for the glucosamine-chondroiton combo. It even worked on one of my greyhounds. It takes about 30 days to start to feel the effects though.

[Dantes Inferno]

try taking aspirin or ibuprofen before riding

[Desloc]

Handlebar tilt? I'm also having good results with glucosamine.


Des

[Late Bloomer]

good idea. try squeezing a ball in your hand (clenching your fist) - it works all the tendons in your wrist also.
Yeah, the cushie-ball did wonders for me a few years ago when I was first trying this freeride thingy and my wrists were feeling like they were crumbling within me.

derwood - hope it's nothing too serious and you're full-on in no time!

[Emily]

Ive broken my right wrist 7 times... so I know all about that pain... I use wrist guards by dakine, they are wicked....check out some snowboard gear for good wrist guards (r.e.d. or dakine are the best if you ask me)

[Smoke]

I ride almost every day, multiple Shore runs.

1" medical tape. Put a firm (not tight) wrap on your wrists a couple of layers thick so that you can't easily bend your wrist. It's called 'blocking' and it works wonders. Thanks to Darren Butler for showing me that one at the 1st Psychosis race when I was on my hardtail and my hands were literally falling off (my handlebars).

Other than that, lay off the brakes a bit more and stay loose.

[Uncle Duke]

your right wrist 7x!!!! damn ...switch to lucy..

[Duncan]

I took glucosamine for a while. It makes me wannaa go pee worse than beer does.

I was doing a variant of Smoke's medical tape for couple of years when I had wrist pain. I taped up each wrist firmly with a Tensor bandage before the DH run. It also takes the sting out of bumps, drops and falls. If it works for a 200 lb human lawn dart, it may work for you (sorry, I've been raiding the photo vault lately, so I couldn't resist):


http://www.napiersys.bc.ca/xc_test/lawndart.jpg

Picture credit: Pete Fagerlin, http://www.petefagerlin.com
D.

[sanrensho]

I'm planning (at some point) to try one of these: http://www.jonesbikes.com/hbar/default.asp partially for the multiple hand positions, but mostly for the more natural positioning of the hands.

Moustache bars! Cool.

[Duncan]

I get sore wrists too and I'm planning (at some point) to try one of these: http://www.jonesbikes.com/hbar/default.asp partially for the multiple hand positions, but mostly for the more natural positioning of the hands.


I once had a brief conversation with the designer of these on another BB (I finally went with the taped wrists solution). I was concerned that they weren't built up to the "North Shore" standard. He seemed to be a really cool guy, and showed me some pics of what he rides with his bars:

http://www.jonesbikes.com/images/riding7.jpg

http://www.jonesbikes.com/images/riding16.jpg

[JCL]

I broke my radius just above the wrist last Thursday. It's a jagged crack almost all the way across but the alignment of the bone hasn't moved. Anybody (Emily 7x ?) know how long I should leave it before I can ride drops and jumps again ?

[Emily]

The longer you leave it the better it heals..I chose to ride with a cast on, and used my cast to shift my car..open bottles, etc.. so I may not be the best judge of healing time..... I have no patience for injuries.
When does the cast come off? I'd get a really good brace/wrist guard depending on your injury, and then I'd ride with that. But I find that it takes about a year after the break to get back fully. I also notice that it's hard to get out of the habit of using your other arm to take over, especially when you are biking uphill and you feel like your arm might break again...
haha good luck and don't let it affect your fun!

[Joe Dick]

my wrists are phucked. a bunch of years running power saw and a bunch more then that slamming a shovel into the ground a couple three four thousand times a day. why do you think I'm up so early on a day off. all I can say is stay loose and move your hands around a lot. injuries like this are often cause by having you hands in the same position for long periods of time. it might not be caused by riding you bike. could easily be caused from too much time on the key board or holding a broom or... if it realy bothers you and it might be work related go see a doc. your not waisting time or tax payers money if you find a solution that keeps you healthy in the long run.

Smoke's idea sounds like one I may try.

[Dude]

Smoke's idea works the best Derwood. I'm in the same boat as you. My wrists always hurt now, due to a few too many fractures to the scaphoid area...mostly injuries that came from playing other sports, but made a constant pain now due to riding.

Tape, Tylenol, and suck-it-up soup.

[Dean W]

Another option to tape is to use weight lifting elastic wrist straps.

I have a set from when I used to lift weights regularly and were used during pushing moves like the bench press to prevent the wrist from flexing backwards. They are a 2 inch wide band of elastic that is held in place by velcro. You can put as little or as much tension on your wrist as needed.

I would give these a try as they are resuable and very adjustable (tension and position on the wrist).

Later.

[derwood]

Taped my wrists at work today cause they was feeling brutal....gotta find pro help on this taping thing.....KB 1 or ol school boxing perhaps?

[Ninja]

Go to the DOCTOR!!! And yes this is a sign of gettin OLD!

[JCL]

The longer you leave it the better it heals..I chose to ride with a cast on, and used my cast to shift my car..open bottles, etc.. so I may not be the best judge of healing time..... I have no patience for injuries.
When does the cast come off? I'd get a really good brace/wrist guard depending on your injury, and then I'd ride with that. But I find that it takes about a year after the break to get back fully. I also notice that it's hard to get out of the habit of using your other arm to take over, especially when you are biking uphill and you feel like your arm might break again...
haha good luck and don't let it affect your fun!

Oh crap...

[Emily]

Whoaa....you tape your wrist for work? what do you do? maybe you should go to the doctor...

[derwood]

Whoaa....you tape your wrist for work? what do you do? maybe you should go to the doctor...
Heavy equipment mechanic.The air tools are what flare it up....could be worse I guess.

[Incorrigible]

1. Adjust your levers so they are closer to the bar

2 Try to feather the brakes before turns, and then off completely for the turn itself. You will also corner faster.

3. Lastly, try a different riding position. Get your front lower; try to crouch down more. This will change the angle of your wrists to a more flat position.

[Zaskar]

good idea. try squeezing a ball in your hand (clenching your fist) - it works all the tendons in your wrist also.


BAHAHAHA TELL ME IM NOT THE ONLY WHO LAUGHED WHEN THEY READ THIS!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[DaveM]

Taped my wrists at work today cause they was feeling brutal....gotta find pro help on this taping thing.....KB 1 or ol school boxing perhaps?

Go see a physiotherapist. They can give you exercises and teach you to tape them up. You'll likely find that most injuries will heal 50% faster with the help of a good physiotherapist.

Unless you're planning to knock out your boss, taping them like a boxer isn't going to help.

[Duncan]

Taped my wrists at work today cause they was feeling brutal....gotta find pro help on this taping thing.....KB 1 or ol school boxing perhaps?

The tensors I used are reinforcing, and elastic with velcro for fastening ... they are kind of pricey (about $10-$15 each I think) but they are washable and 100% re-usable (maybe not if you keep getting transmission fluid on them). You can get them at a drug store, usually around the senior's section. :cry:

Doesn't your employer care that you are working in pain? Or will you just get shit-canned for complaining? D.

[Phaedrus]

20 years or so of high impact sports has taken its toll.....

This year especially my wrists are killing me (scaphoid? area)and all the easy solutions arent working....what do I do, besides stop riding DH?

After about 2 minutes of riding I have to stop and shake e’m out......no, my set up has’nt changed...same bars brakes and stem for the past 3 years.

You'll find the Hand University (http://www.handuniversity.com/) an excellent source of information.

My (right) wrist was shattered in an accident and has been "replaced" with a titanium plate and numerous screws. I am able to ride again however not without discomfort. I've had custom-made wrist braces I do not find them as useful as "Taping" as already mentioned. Pre-ride Ibuprofen is not a solution, you'll only end-up injuring yourself more.

The Hand University (http://www.handuniversity.com/) mentioned above may provide some insight as to what you're dealing with, however I'd suggest that you consult with a professional. Scaphoid injuries are quite common and often go mis-diagnosed.

A friend of mine, had a hard bail in which he augured his wrist into the ground. He dismissed it as a bad sprain, "sucked-up" the pain and continued on with life. After a couple weeks of pain he wet to a local (Loco...(?)) doctor who, after x-raying it, confirmed that it was a bad sprain and prescribed R.I.C.E. and T3's...

He worked through a winter (Oil patch - "rig-pig") plagued with an aching wrist. In the following riding season he had another hard bail. This time he went immediately to the local clinic where they confirmed that not only was his scaphoid broken but that evidence in the x-ray indicated that it had been previously broken and did not heal properly. Because the bone did not heal the blood supply in the bone was cut-off, in effect "killing-it", which may necessitate fusing the bones.

He is now scheduled for surgery to pin it or possibly fuse it if it is deteriorated enough. The irony is that because of the backlog on the (BC) medical system he cannot get in for surgery until October of this year.

If you do turn to Professional help I'd do my homework and find the "best" in your area. In my own case because I live in the Interior (East Kootenay's) I was referred to a Orthopedic surgeon in Banff who referred me to a Plastic surgeon in Calgary.

[skifreak]

This year especially my wrists are killing me(scaphoid? area)and all the easy solutions arent working....what do I do,besides stop riding DH?

Your symptoms lead me to have concern about the status of your scaphoid. This bone is somewhat banana shaped and it has bloodflow from only one end... If you at one point fractured the scaphoid in two, the end result is often a degeneration of the scaphoid and could lead to a condition known as "avascular necrosis"

http://www.e-radiography.net/radpath/f/scaphoid%20fracture/scaphoid_fracture.htm

Check that link for a great explanation of what might be going on...

None the less - Get to a doctor and see what is going on - your hands are not worth leaving until it's too late.