Her arms were aching from the repetitions of Downward Facing Dog > Plank Pose > Chaturanga > Upward Facing Dog > Downward Facing Dog.
The repetition of asanas that required bearing weight on the hands were causing C’s wrists to feel weak. Rather, C had just realised that she had weak wrists.
Was she imagining things, or did she just feel a twinge of pain at her wrists?
How Dangerous Are Weak Wrists?
On a daily basis, unless your work requires it, you're unlikely to be called upon to carry heavy things, or bear your own body weight on your hands.So, weak wrists aren’t usually a problem.
The problem might surface when you need to lift your one week’s worth of groceries out of the supermarket trolley. Or if you lose your footing and slip and fall, landing on your hands.
Without “training” the wrists beforehand, the wrists could be weak. Then, you might injure your wrists in these situations.
What Wrist Injuries?
First of all, the wrist comprises eight carpal joints, arranged in two rows.When the wrists are weak, it means that the muscles and tendons in the area are not strong. The muscles are thin, strap-like muscles extending from the humerus (upper arm), ulna and radius (forearm) and inserting into the carpals, metacarpals and phalanges in the wrist and hand via long tendons.
When these muscles are not strong enough or flexible enough, external forces to the wrists could cause the ligaments that support the wrist to be stretched or torn. Hence, a common injury resulting from weak wrists is the wrist sprain.
Another common wrist injury is impingement, when the radius (a bone in the forearm) contacts the wrist bones. There is a lot of pressure on the wrist joint when the wrist is extended (e.g. in a push up position or Plank Pose). If the wrist is not flexible or strong enough to hold the position and prevent the bones from touching, you could wind up with painful impingement, and aggravated tendons and ligaments.
Why Do We Have Weak Wrists?
As mentioned above, weak wrists are a result of having weak forearm muscles. These muscles weaken because we don’t use them a lot. Most of us don’t often carry heavy things, nor bear weight on our hands. As with other muscles, if we don’t use them often, the muscles will eventually weaken.Therefore, to strengthen weak wrists, we strengthen the forearm muscles and tendons.
How To Strengthen The Wrists?
These exercises strengthen the anterior and posterior muscles of the forearm that cross the wrist.But first, let's warm up.
Warm Up 1: Wrist Circles (separated)
Make a fist with both hands and slowly make a circular motion in one direction a few times, then switch to the opposite direction.Warm Up 2: Wrist Circles (together)
Interlace the fingers of both hands with the palms touching and make a circular motion in one direction a few times, then switch to the opposite direction.Warm Up 3: Wrist Stretch
(a) Extend one arm in front of you, with the palm facing up.(b) Using the other hand, press your fingers down and back gently until you feel a stretch.
(c) Hold for 15 seconds and repeat four times.
(d) Repeat on the other hand.
(e) Repeat the exercise for both hands with the palm facing down.
Now for the exercises proper...
Exercise 1: Wrist Extension
(a) Rest the back of your forearm on a table or your leg, with your hand completely over the end.(b) Your palm should face up and your hand aligned with the arm.
(c) Hold a light weight in the hand and slowly lower the weight toward the floor.
(d) The movement should take 5 seconds, then slowly bring the hand back to the starting position.
(e) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.
(f) If you cannot do 10 repetitions properly, use a lighter weight. If you can complete the exercise properly and with ease, increase the weight.
Exercise 2: Wrist Flexion
(a) Rest your forearm on a table or your leg, with your hand completely over the end.(b) Your palm should face down and your hand aligned with the arm.
(c) Hold a light weight in the hand and slowly lower the weight toward the floor.
(d) The movement should take 5 seconds, then slowly bring the hand back to the starting position.
(e) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.
(f) If you cannot do 10 repetitions properly, use a lighter weight. If you can complete the exercise properly and with ease, increase the weight.
Exercise 3: Radial Deviation
(a) Grip a hammer by the handle, then stand with your arms at your side, palms facing inwards.(b) Tilt the head of the hammer toward the ceiling and slowly lower it down.
(c) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.
(d) If you cannot do 10 repetitions properly, use a lighter hammer. If you can complete the exercise properly and with ease, increase the weight by wrapping something around the head of the hammer, such as an ankle weight.
Exercise 4: Wrist Pronation and Supination
(a) Sit or stand with your arm at your side, elbow bent at a 90-degree angle.(b) Hold a light weight in your hand, slowly rotate your palm up and then down.
(c) Keep your elbow still throughout the movement.
(d) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.
Rest for a day in between doing the exercises to give your muscles time to recover.
What If My Wrist Is Injured?
If it’s a new injury, ice it in the first 48 hours to remove any swelling. Once the swelling is gone, use a hot compress for the next 48 hours to bring back the blood circulation to the area. This will help to speed up the recovery.More importantly, rest and stop any weight-bearing exercises that impact the wrist. However, you can and should keep your wrists mobile to maintain the flexibility of the muscles crossing the wrist. Do Warm Up 2 gently for this purpose.
When you have recovered, start by doing the strengthening exercises above, before attempting any serious wrist-impacting exercise.
Summary
Weak wrists can be dangerous, even if you don’t intend to join a Vinyasa class. They make your prone to getting injured even while doing day-to-day activities.The good news is, you can strengthen your wrists, by strengthening the forearm muscles and tendons, with four simple exercises:
1. Wrist Extension
2. Wrist Flexion
3. Radial Deviation
4. Wrist Pronation and Supination
