Proper Use of Wrist Braces

By Tom Nicholson

When you are someone who is interested in keeping your wrists healthy and if you are worried about wrist pain, you will find that wrist braces are going to be something that you need to look into. Wrist braces are essentially devices that will keep your wrists in a position that will not irritate them, and they will give your wrists more support as you go through your day. The truth of the matter is that although they are important, wrist braces are not a cure-all in and of themselves and you will discover that the more time that you spend in them, the more problematic they can be. Take a bit of time to learn more about wrist braces and how they can help you heal.

The first step is to understand what wrist braces are functional for treating. For instance if you suffer swelling of the joint, have arthritis or have recently sprained the joint, wrist braces are often just what the doctor ordered. Other issues that are worsened by wrist movement such as carpal tunnel are likewise a good time to use a brace. Same advice applies to tendonitis. Anyone or all of these conditions will heal better with the aid of wrist braces.

The benefits of wrist braces are many, if you use them appropriately. This means in a way that prevents further irritation or injury. Of course, inadequate sizes and other common errors can actually lead to more damage. A wrist brace is designed to encompass the wrist and apply compression to the joint in order to offer more stability, particularly with the way you hold your hand. When you flex or stretch with the brace on you are going to notice that it is much easier to maintain a neutral wrist position. You will be able to avoid injury or inflammation with the steadier range of motion wrist braces provide.

All of this leads to the flip side of the coin as it were, the things you should not do with a wrist brace. Foremost in your mind should be that you would not use wrist braces on a daily basis. Far too often people will get to the point that they are nearly never without their wrist brace, causing some serious complications. The first thing that generally happens is you become dependent on your brace. Instead of allowing the muscles to do what they were intended to, you give them constant support instead of letting them strengthen naturally. When you are injured the tendons in your wrist may very well need that support but only until they are healed. You could end up with muscles that have atrophied and tissue that tears where it should bend.

Do some research about wrist braces and how to use them. This will be important to you further along the line and the more effort you put into it now the better you will be when the time comes. - 30453

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