Best way to get a sprained wrist to heal quickly?

[Louis]

At the start of my ride yesterday my front wheel tangled with the rear wheel of someone who shall remain nameless and I ended up with a little road rash (which is not a problem) and a moderately sprained left wrist. Right now I have some pain and swelling, very little gripping strength, and a nice rainbow of colors is developing under the skin. :mad:

Normally I would just let the thing heal, but because I’m doing the Gd’B this weekend I need to maximize my chances of having as little pain as possible. I’ve been trying the RICE thing, but the Rest is tough to come by, because some things require two hands, and Elevation is a pain. The Ice and Compression are being applied. I'm also taking Naproxen.

Any secrets you have to pass on that might help? (I'd rather avoid heavy-duty drugs.)

Thanks.
Louis

[jerk]

At the start of my ride yesterday my front wheel tangled with the rear wheel of someone who shall remain nameless and I ended up with a little road rash (which is not a problem) and a moderately sprained left wrist. Right now I have some pain and swelling, very little gripping strength, and a nice rainbow of colors is developing under the skin. :mad:

Normally I would just let the thing heal, but because I’m doing the Gd’B this weekend I need to maximize my chances of having as little pain as possible. I’ve been trying the RICE thing, but the Rest is tough to come by, because some things require two hands, and Elevation is a pain. The Ice and Compression are being applied. I'm also taking Naproxen.

Any secrets you have to pass on that might help? (I'd rather avoid heavy-duty drugs.)

Thanks.
Louis

wrap it. deal with it. double wrap your bars and gear your sorry *** so you don't have to come out of the saddle. the jerk raced with a sprained wrist for a little while and didn't want anyone in the team to know, (he would have missed a race he was an alternate for,) so he wore two gloves really tight on the hurt hand. had to ride on the tops and the drops for 200km in some race you've never heard of because the hoods hurt to much, but hey, the jerk still finished in the second group.

jerk

[Kane]

unless you take anti-inflammatory drugs, which weaken the tensile strength by an additional 30% leaving you with an injured wrist with ligaments at 20 to 40% of the tensile strength.

****** Trauma: think fracture. Get and X-Ray ****Swelling and pain: think fracture. If the X-Ray is negative and the swelling and pain persist ... get an MRI.

Nutrition:
Glucosamine Sulfate 1500mg
distilled fish oils 3 to 4 grams
Vit C 1000 mg
multi-vitamin

Movement:
alphabet with the wrist on the hour, 10x per day

Ice tips:
add water to the ice in the bag and use a one gallon zip lock bag to cover more surface area during icing. Don't ever use heat on the area.

Find and osteopath or chiropractor to mobilize the joints of your wrist. Often times after trauma the relationship of the 15 bones/joints can be slightly twisted. This causes additional pain, poor healing and extended recovery.

Consider seeing an acupuncturist during the recovery if you value your wrist.

Cheers,


Kane

If you are married, use the other wrist!!

[slowgoing]

Yeah, be careful. I thought I sprained my wrist and thumb a few years ago, turned out a ligament had pulled off a chip of bone and I needed to be casted for about 4 weeks. X rays are worth the peace of mind in my book.

[JStonebarger]

Go see an orthopedist.
If it doesn't need to be immobilized, get it moving.
And elevate it above your heart -- it's the only thing that'll help the swelling.

[Louis]

unless you take anti-inflammatory drugs, which weaken the tensile strength by an additional 30% leaving you with an injured wrist with ligaments at 20 to 40% of the tensile strength.

****** Trauma: think fracture. Get and X-Ray ****Swelling and pain: think fracture. If the X-Ray is negative and the swelling and pain persist ... get an MRI.


Thanks Kane, but not what I was hoping to hear.

I wanted a magical overnight cure, not hard science!

[vandeda]

Yeah, be careful. I thought I sprained my wrist and thumb a few years ago, turned out a ligament had pulled off a chip of bone and I needed to be casted for about 4 weeks. X rays are worth the peace of mind in my book.

x2

I thought I dislocated my toe this weekend based on the angle it was at. Turned out it broke cleanly though the bone. Get an x-ray, make sure it's not broken or you could have more problems in the long run.

Dan

[vandeda]

Thanks Kane, but not what I was hoping to hear.

I wanted a magic overnight cure, not hard science!

Screw an aluminum rod between your hand and arm to make it rigid, then tape your hand to the handlebars. That way, you can bike in the saddle, out of the saddle, and you'll be all good. May take some getting used to though. If you know someone in your area who can do carbon fiber, you can go that route for lightweight.

Magic cures ... I can sell you one for only 3 payments of $39.95. Just PM me :D

Dan