With a bevy of warm weather sports activities on the horizon, it’s time to prepare for one of the most common problems that athletes face to occur, wrist injuries. Wrist injuries run the gamut from dislocations and fractures to sprains. Sprains tend to be the more common of the three. Thankfully, there are treatments like wrist supports available.
Most physicians and physiotherapists divide wrist sprains up into three different categories, also known as grades. The first grade includes minor injuries that can typically be addressed at home with the aid of kinesiology tape, over-the-counter pain medication and ice packs. Second and third grade injuries are obviously more severe and may require instantaneous, specialized medical attention.
When the wrist is injured, regardless of the grading, natural blood flow to the area is likely to end ups restricted. And that may lead to increased healing time, excessive soreness and pain. Kinesiology tape can address those issues providing that it is applied correctly. There are YouTube videos available that provide instructions on using Mueller Kinesiology Tape for wrist support. Athletes can find some of them posted here.
Depending on the extent of the injury, summer sports athletes may need to support both the wrist’s flexor and extensor muscle groups as well as various ligaments. Wrist ligaments that may need to be taped include the following:
- Palmar Carpometacarpal Ligaments
- Palmar Metacarpal Ligaments
- Palmar Radiocarpal Ligament
- Palmar Ulnocarpal Ligament
- Pisometacarpal Ligament
Once a summer sports related wrist injury occurs, it is important to immediately assess the damage and control the swelling. The swelling may be controlled with a compression-style wrist support, elevation and ice packs. Be sure to use the ice packs in increments several times during the first 24 hours. If all of those steps don’t provide relief, consider contacting a physician or physiotherapists within 48 hours of the injury occurring. That way, he or she can investigate to ensure that the wrist injury is nothing more than a minor or moderate sprain.