# Wrist pain



## Dustincoc (Sep 14, 2011)

Any tips on healing a wrist strain/sprain? 

I've tried the braces and the pain goes away for a while but they I overdo it again and it comes back. Biggest cause is me carrying trashcans a little to heavy over my shoulder pulling my wrist backwards.


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## Railman (Jan 19, 2008)

Dustincoc said:


> Any tips on healing a wrist strain/sprain?
> 
> I've tried the braces and the pain goes away for a while but they I overdo it again and it comes back. Biggest cause is me carrying trashcans a little to heavy over my shoulder pulling my wrist backwards.


 
It's a lot like the old joke where a guy goes to a doc, & tells the doc that " It hurts when I do this". The doc then says, well that's easy....quit doing that!::laughing:







It's pretty simple.....quit doing what makes it hurt! :jester::whistling

The only thing that's ever worked for me is rest.

Joe


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## Dustincoc (Sep 14, 2011)

Railman said:


> It's a lot like the old joke where a guy goes to a doc, & tells the doc that " It hurts when I do this". The doc then says, well that's easy....quit doing that!::laughing:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


As soon as I posted, i thought about coming back and adding "other than take it easy" which is a given(until I forget about it again and it comes back)


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

Live on Aleve for about two weeks or so. 

If you have to keep working, just change the way you are holding your tools or use a different hammer. Sometimes that will help use a different set of muscles and ligaments. Just the difference in choking up on the hammer can help as well. I have a Stanley axe handle framing hammer that causes me a ton of pain if I use it too much. I just change to my Estwing 16 and it helps a lot.

Changing gloves also can help. It is sometimes the little things you don't think about that do the most to get rid of the pain.


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## Railman (Jan 19, 2008)

I've had the same problem for the last 20 years or so. I used to try & loosen it up by stretching & working it, only to make it worse every time
I now go out of my way to keep the range of motion to a minimum, & that allows the swelling/inflamation to go down. It doesn't restrict using it...I just minimise range of motion. Lately it's been good.

It's just part of getting old.
joe


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## SamM (Dec 13, 2009)

Wrist brace, work careful, and don't use it at all after work. That's what worked for me after I put a nail thru my wrist joint.


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## Dustincoc (Sep 14, 2011)

Bad part is I'm right handed and its my right wrist.



VinylHanger said:


> Live on Aleve for about two weeks or so.
> 
> If you have to keep working, just change the way you are holding your tools or use a different hammer. Sometimes that will help use a different set of muscles and ligaments. Just the difference in choking up on the hammer can help as well. I have a Stanley axe handle framing hammer that causes me a ton of pain if I use it too much. I just change to my Estwing 16 and it helps a lot.
> 
> Changing gloves also can help. It is sometimes the little things you don't think about that do the most to get rid of the pain.


The only tools I use on this job on a regular basis are a pushbroom, snow shovel, trash can, and spud. Just THE laborer on this gig(using it to fill in until roofing starts back up) They will only pay for 28 hours a week and i still get done a normal persons 40+ hr weeks worth of work. Thats why they requested me instead of just anybody. Its just me working alone so not even anyone to help carry the heavy stuff. Thursday, I drug/carried a 24x36 electrical enclosure made of rather thick steel(100+Lbs I'd guess, I know I can throw 80Lb bags of grain around and it weighed significantly more) out to the scrap dumpster(a good 2-300 ft from the building). 

The other trouble is they only order 40Yd dumpsters and position them in a way that I can't get the door open so I'm hoisting 70-80lb trashcans up over my head with an injured wrist.


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

Dustincoc said:


> The only tools I use on this job on a regular basis are a pushbroom, snow shovel, trash can, and spud. Just THE laborer on this gig(using it to fill in until roofing starts back up) They will only pay for 28 hours a week and i still get done a normal persons 40+ hr weeks worth of work. Thats why they requested me instead of just anybody. Its just me working alone so not even anyone to help carry the heavy stuff. Thursday, I drug/carried a 24x36 electrical enclosure made of rather thick steel(100+Lbs I'd guess, I know I can throw 80Lb bags of grain around and it weighed significantly more) out to the scrap dumpster(a good 2-300 ft from the building).
> 
> The other trouble is they only order 40Yd dumpsters and position them in a way that I can't get the door open so I'm hoisting 70-80lb trashcans up over my head with an injured wrist.


Trash a pult


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## Railman (Jan 19, 2008)

Have you tried sliding them up a board/ramp to dump them? I've done stage liftng also. Lift to platform like a 55g barrel, & then tip them over the edge.


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## Dustincoc (Sep 14, 2011)

Railman said:


> Have you tried sliding them up a board/ramp to dump them? I've done stage liftng also. Lift to platform like a 55g barrel, & then tip them over the edge.


I normally lift them half way and hook them on something while I change grip.


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## Dustincoc (Sep 14, 2011)

Metro M & L said:


> Trash a pult


You mean like a real version of this:


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## Pearce Services (Nov 21, 2005)

I had the same issue years ago, all better now. It was the way I was sleeping, my wrist would get bent back as I slept, the doc gave me a brace for each wrist and after a few weeks it was a huge improvement. I learned how to sleep without bending my wrists and stopped wearing the braces and sleep fine with no pain the next day. 

Worth a shot.


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

Get a pair of skateboarding or roller blading gloves were they have wrist splints to prevent the wrist from bending backwards.


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

I've had that problem several times over the years. Mostly my younger days. For me it took up to two months to go away. I always remember not being able to pour a gallon of milk because it hurt too much. I never saw a doc about it.:whistling

When working hard you tend to push your joints beyond their limits I think.

See a ortho surgeon,maybe? Good luck.


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## davitk (Oct 3, 2008)

Lots of good suggestions here. Diclofenac ((NSAID) worked for me, combined wth modifying techniques and time. Rest would be good too but sounds like a luxury you cannot afford.


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

Arm curls.....


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## Dustincoc (Sep 14, 2011)

The wrist pain has gone away (for now  ) I haven't been doing much hauling lately as I've been prepping the old walls ahead of the drywallers(pulling lath nails and finishing what the demo guys left. Also stripping knob and tube wiring)


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

In all seriousness, if your wrists are not use to it it will probably go away on its own. But squeezing a tennis ball or a tension spring while you're driving or sitting around watching TV, and using a straight bar backwards with your arms behind you and using your wrists to curl it will strengthen up your wrists and forearms and keep the problem from coming back. Although, just working will probably take care of that anyway. Lol.


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## davitk (Oct 3, 2008)

Ten years ago I injured my wrist driving pole barn spikes with too small a hammer. That healed and became tennis elbow, which healed and became rotator cuff pain. The pains now come in a "predictable" cycle and typically with a few new symptoms thrown in like tingling fingers and fingers that suddenly and with no warning lose their grip. Welcome to the world of "I should've been an accountant".


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## Dustincoc (Sep 14, 2011)

davitk said:


> Ten years ago I injured my wrist driving pole barn spikes with too small a hammer. That healed and became tennis elbow, which healed and became rotator cuff pain. The pains now come in a "predictable" cycle and typically with a few new symptoms thrown in like tingling fingers and fingers that suddenly and with no warning lose their grip. Welcome to the world of "I should've been an accountant".


That sounds like Carpel Tunnel. The tingling and numbness are the only difference between Carpel Tunnel and ?tendonitis.

I also tend to use too small of a hammer on occasion, but I don't think that's part of the problem.


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