Really need help/advice for pretty bad wrist pain/sprain. 2 years of issues.

[Slightly Motivated]

I'll try to keep this short.

So long story short about 2 years ago I was doing full contact sparring and one of the few times I didn't use wraps I hyperextended my right wrist. It was pretty serious and took a few months to get back to complete use without any pain whatsoever. Ever since then my wrist has not been the same. Its been a lot weaker and injures more easily than ever before. This hasn't really been a big deal up until recently. For the past 9 months I've been working as a warehouse manager, and the past 6 months I have been weight training with a personal trainer 5 times a week on top of 3-4 1.5 hour sessions of Muy Thai a week. Needless to say any small sort of issue really puts me in the hole with all my responsibilities. The past month or two I've noticed that off and on, from either my goings on or even something as simple as sleeping on it wrong can cause issues and pain that interferes with my life. On Thursday I was practicing my hooks and I messed up again slightly. Its a pain right bellow my palm under my pinky and hurts the most when i do a key/doorknob turning motion as well as holding my body weight up such as in a push up type of way. I've been to a general doctor a year ago who x-rayed it and told me just to stretch and give it time. In the recent months I have been to a masseuse, acupressure, used wraps/braces, hot and cold therapy, and stretched it regularly. Yet nothing really has gotten me back to where i was before my injury, much less even prevented simple accidents from causing a lot of issues.

It's time to see a specialist as well as be proactive in strengthening my wrist in order to stop this from happening. I have talked to a lot of people yet really am lost at what type of specialist I need to seek out. I don't know if I should try a physical therapist, a rheumatologist, or what. Other than an X-ray what types of tests can be done to find out what the issues could be? Just trying to educate myself before I go in so i don't get the standard "ice, stretch, and time" shpeal or waste my time going to the wrong type of doctor. Also I'm curious if there are exercises i can do to strengthen my wrist joints or muscles? Anyone have similar issues and used out of the box remedies or tactics to help with the pain? I really appreciate the info. I'm only 24 so this is something I'd like to address asap so it doesn't continue to decline in health and strength as i age. More than anything I'd really appreciate a recommended type of specialist to look into. Thanks in advance guys. Sorry for the long read. :beer:

 

[Tezz500]

Chop it off! Go Pirate Hook!! ARRRR!

 

[robraySVT]

I'm no doctor, but it seems to me that your wrist has never completely healed, and muay Thai and weight training are probably making it worse. I would take it easy until your strength is back and you are pain free.

 

[oldmodman]

I injured my right wrist quite seriously twenty years ago and I saw an orthopedist. After several x-rays and an ultrasound scan he came up with a plan for treatment. I was injected with some powerful type of prednisone and then given a wrist brace to immobilize the wrist for six weeks.

At the end of that time the pain was almost all gone. he had me wear the brace for another couple of weeks with oral prednisone. After that the pain was gone.

I was told that if I ever injure the wrist again I should put it in ice for ten minutes then use the wrist brace for a couple of days. And that has always worked.

I sure wish I had gone to a doctor right away instead of just trying home remedies.

So go see an orthopedist.

 

[RDJ]

THIS! waiting 2 years to see a doc was not the brightest move. hopefully you have not put it in a stage where it will need an operation to put right

I injured my right wrist quite seriously twenty years ago and I saw an orthopedist. After several x-rays and an ultrasound scan he came up with a plan for treatment. I was injected with some powerful type of prednisone and then given a wrist brace to immobilize the wrist for six weeks.

At the end of that time the pain was almost all gone. he had me wear the brace for another couple of weeks with oral prednisone. After that the pain was gone.

I was told that if I ever injure the wrist again I should put it in ice for ten minutes then use the wrist brace for a couple of days. And that has always worked.

I sure wish I had gone to a doctor right away instead of just trying home remedies.

So go see an orthopedist.

 

[Jbstang87]

Dont fap too much in the meantime. Get it checked out

 

[03dsgcobranc]

I'm no doctor, but like others said see a specialized hand/wrist ortho . May order an MRI and or arthrogram

 

[Blown 89]

Find an orthopedic that specializes in wrists. I have problems with my left wrist from sparring.... haven't bothered with a doctor yet.

I hate the ice, rest, physical therapy routine they waste time with. Finding one that knows when that crap isn't worth it is key. When I dislocated my shoulder I went to three specialists before I found one who realized physical therapy and rest was a waste of time. When they opened me up my shoulder was gruesome. The waiting game those ass hats play is ridiculous.

 

[1hot281]

See a specialist. I broke the shit out of my wrist back in my BMXing days. The carpals looked like loosely packed granola in the x-Ray. Had to wear a cast for a long while... Then a wrist brace. Still makes like, crunchy grinding noises when I twist it around. But I can still lift and hit the heavy bag without too much discomfort. Early treatment is key, but better late than never. Get it taken care of.

 

[Teethy]

Beat both of my wrists up pretty good when I was younger. I'm basically healed up these days but I still get the occasional soreness when I do certain lifts at the gym.

Maybe its in my head or maybe there is something to it but I use the little magnetic bracelet things for a few days and they go back to normal. TrionZ is the brand I'm using.

+1 on start with an orthopedist

 

[KurtDog]

It sounds like Bursitis to me. Essentially it's over/miss use of a joint. Do you get any fluid build up when the pain happens? I'd get it checked out by a specialist before doing anything else just to make sure your not aggravating the issue.

As far as exercises go, tie a three foot rope to a small bar and a 5 pound weight. With your elbows at your side hold your forearms at 90 degrees to your body and spin the bar using alternating hands until all the slack in the rope is taken up, then do this in reverse direction. This will work all the muscles in your hands, wrists, and forearms.

 

[Slightly Motivated]

I've been insanely busy so I never got a chance to reply to first off thank you guys for your input, and give a little update. So after reading your posts I scheduled for an orthopedic surgeon the next day, who was unavailable till this preview Wednesday and asked for fresh xrays before I came in. That was exactly what I needed and I found out that my ulna bone is slightly longer than my radius bone, which is abnormal. Nothing major but in somebody who is extremely active it has been known to cause wrist issues and he had said he recently had a few guys come to him with similar circumstances. So we decided that we would try a 4-6 weeks of physical therapy and if it doesn't improve then move on to MRI's to determine if I have any micro tears that would need surgery. I'm all game for physical therapy though because my left is most likely similar with a longer ulna and likely to have the same thing happen. I've always been a small guy, so it would be good to learn how to strengthen essential joints. He even said i can even go about my day as normal even if theres very minimal pain.

I really appreciated the input. I had seen general doctors and was tired of the rest/ice speech. I never really had a reason to see a specialist in the past year till this most recent injury so I'm glad i got in when I did. I thank you guys for pointing me in the right direction. Everyone i had asked wasn't sure what type of specialist i should see.

Just for the hell of it heres one of the x-rays. The long right bone on the right, right under my forearm, usually sits lower than the right.

 

[slingshot]

If the pain does not resolve with the current treatment within 4-6 weeks--Get an MRI... and see a hand/wrist specialist. 7 years ago I was hitting a heavy bag (without gloves, like an idiot) and felt a 'pop' and a mild burning sensation in my left wrist. Remember thinking "that's gonna hurt" and it did for a few days but then got better. It would get painful again with weightlifting or certain manuevers--using a weedeater killed me. I had an xray (FP doctor) and it was read as 'normal'. After a couple of years of gradually getting worse, I saw an orthopedic doc and had an MRI. DX? Scapholunate disassociation and collapse of the carpal row with instability. Not good. Sent me to a hand/wrist guy in Dallas who said we could do a steroid injection and have to repeat it every 6-12 months and prob eventually fuse the wrist or just go ahead and fuse it now. Other option was a reconstruction. I went for that. They had to identify and clip the flexor carpi radialis tendon 4 inches above the wrist and drill a hole thru the scaphoid then pull it through and put a metal brad to hold it down. Had stainless pins put through my wrist to immobilize it and a cast placed for 3 months to allow it to all head and scar down. Then had the pins removed and went through several months of therapy. It's now pain free and I have prob 85% range of motion back.
Moral to story--don't **** around with wrist injuries, get it looked at by someone who really knows their stuff... good luck.

 

[kirks5oh]

Meh, You're not that "ulnar plus", as we call it. Make sure the guy you're seeing is a hand specialist---ie only deals with hand/wrist/elbow issues. Trust me, you're going to end up getting an MRI, and could easily have a torn tfcc, and need a wrist scope. The only person I'd trust to do that is a hand specialist. Not a guy who does a little bit of everything. Good luck

 

[Slightly Motivated]

Thanks for the follow up guys. I kinda got the feeling I would end up getting an mri in the end anyway. Do you think it would probably just be smarter to get an mri done before even trying to have any physical therapy done? I will definitely seek out a wrist/hand specialist this week seeing as I have just seen a general orthopedic surgeon that I chose based off review, health Insurance coverage, and being local. But since this could clearly escalate quickly it's not worth taking risks or waiting any longer.

 

[kevinatfms]

Chop it off! Go Pirate Hook!! ARRRR!

:dancenana:

this would be ****ing awesome but only if you had to chop it off.

 

[Slightly Motivated]

Lol if I have to chop it off you best believe I'm getting something sweet. If not a robot hand then definitely some sort of plate that allows for accesories. Pirate hook, sword, axe, metal fists, power drill, reciprocating saw, the attachment possibilities would be endless! Also if they had to take it I'd ask them to hollow out the wrist a little while they are there so I could have a secret stash place for money and keys and such