Sports Medicine Archives - American Gymnast and Ninja

Handling Wrist Tendonitis

amgym — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:39:39 +0000

By U. of New York – Buffalo Dept. of Orthopaedics
WHAT IS WRIST TENDONITIS?
Tendons are bands of connective tissue that attach muscle to bone. Tendonitis occurs when a tendon is inflamed from overuse. Your wrist moves in many directions, including down, up, in, and out. The muscles and tendons that perform these movements may become overused and inflamed. The muscles and tendons that cross your wrist and attach to your thumb may also become inflamed.

HOW DOES IT OCCUR?
Tendonitis is a problem caused by repetitive use. Possible overuse activities include throwing, catching, bowling, hitting a tennis ball, typing, or sewing.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
You have pain with repetitive activity. The tendon that is inflamed is tender to the touch. You may have swelling around the inflamed tendon.

HOW IS IT DIAGNOSED?
Your doctor will review your symptoms and examine your wrist.

HOW IS IT TREATED?

putting ice packs on your wrist for 20 to 30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 or 3 days
elevating your wrist on the back of a chair or couch while sitting or on a pillow while sleeping
taking an anti-inflammatory or other pain medication prescribed by your doctor
wearing a splint or cast on your wrist, or taping the wrist and thumb
doing exercises to help your wrist recover. In many cases of tendonitis, the injury occurs because of poor technique in a sporting activity. Your doctor may review your technique and try to help you change it. There is also arthritis gloves for women that your doctor might recommend.

While you are recovering from your injury, you will need to change your sport or activity to one that does not make your condition worse. For example, you may need to run instead of play racquet sports. The most important treatment for tendonitis is to change your activity.

WHEN CAN I RETURN TO MY SPORT OR ACTIVITY?
The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your sport or activity as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury, which could lead to permanent damage. Everyone recovers from injury at a different rate. Return to your sport or activity will be determined by how soon your wrist recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better.

You may return to your sport or activity after your wrist injury when the injured wrist has full range of motion without pain. You doctor may allow you to return to competition with your wrist taped or in a brace. Your injured wrist, hand, and forearm need to have the same strength as the uninjured side. There must not be any pain when you do activities such as swinging a bat or a racquet or tumbling in gymnastics.

HOW CAN I PREVENT WRIST TENDONITIS?
Tendonitis is caused from overuse. Use proper technique in activities such as throwing, hitting a tennis ball, and typing. You should not continue to do these activities when the warning signs of tendonitis begin.

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Stretching

amgym — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:36:30 +0000

Complements of Don Rackey, USA Mens Gymnastics traveling athletic trainer.

Flexibility should not be overlooked because increased flexibility can decrease the risk of injury and enhance your athletic performance. Although few people get excited about stretching, to increase flexibility they should know that unlike many areas of fitness, a small commitment to stretching can produce big dividends. Following are a few basic principals about proper stretching to improve flexibility.

Static stretches held for 20-30 seconds, with moderate tension, is the key to proper stretching.
The stretch tension must be held constant for the muscle to relax. The body will initially resist any stretching, so the stretch must be held long enough for the body’s initial defenses to relax and then allow the tissues to stretch properly. 20-30 seconds is the accepted minimum amount of time to allow this to happen. The amount of tension you apply during the stretch should not be painful. You should feel tension within the muscle but stretching is not meant to hurt. On the contrary, stretching should be very relaxing.

Stretching should become a daily habit.
Recent studies show that just one good stretch a day can produce increased flexibility. The study examined different stretching protocols that had subjects performing multiple stretches during multiple stretching sets per day. Results showed one good 30 second stretch a day yielded increased flexibility and that multiple stretches were not significantly better in improving flexibility.

The best time to stretch is when the muscles are warm.
It’s best to begin with a few minutes of light exercise and then stretch the then-warmed muscles before beginning the more intense part of the workout. Applying heat to muscles is also effective if formal exercise is not going to be performed. Stretching should always be done following exercise to take advantage of the warm muscles as well as decreasing muscle soreness by increasing circulation to the fatigued muscles. Greater flexibility will be maintained if the tissues are stretched while they are warm and then held in a stretched position as the muscles and tendons cool down. Steady breathing, in and out, should also be maintained as one holds the stretch.

Stretching to increase flexibility should not be neglected.
A little stretching can go a long way to enhance your overall fitness.

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The Creatine Controversy

amgym — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:27:04 +0000

The post The Creatine Controversy appeared first on American Gymnast and Ninja.