Why Your Wrist Might Hurt if You do Yoga or Pushups

If your wrist hurts during yoga or pushups, it’s likely due to excessive strain or poor alignment of the wrist joint. Here at Easy Orthopedics in Colorado Springs we frequently see those with wrist pain. Several factors can contribute to wrist pain during these activities:

  1. Weakness or Lack of Stability: If your wrist muscles are weak or lack stability, they may struggle to support your body weight during yoga poses or pushups, leading to discomfort or pain.
  2. Improper Technique: Incorrect hand placement or technique during yoga poses or pushups can put excessive stress on the wrist joint. For example, collapsing the wrists inward or outward, or placing too much weight on the heels of the hands rather than spreading the pressure evenly across the palms, can lead to discomfort or injury.
  3. Limited Flexibility or Mobility: Reduced flexibility or mobility in the wrist joint or surrounding muscles and tendons can increase the risk of strain or injury during weight-bearing activities like yoga or pushups.
  4. Overuse or Repetitive Strain: Engaging in yoga or pushups too frequently or with excessive intensity without allowing sufficient rest and recovery time can lead to overuse injuries, including wrist pain.
  5. Pre-existing Conditions: Certain pre-existing conditions, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, or arthritis, can make the wrist more susceptible to pain or injury during weight-bearing activities.

How to protect your wrist while doing yoga?

  1. Proper Alignment: Ensure that your wrists are aligned with your shoulders and fingers spread wide during yoga poses or pushups to distribute weight evenly across the palms.
  2. Strengthening Exercises: Incorporate wrist-strengthening exercises into your routine to improve stability and support for the wrist joint.
  3. Warm-up: Warm up your wrists before engaging in weight-bearing activities by gently stretching and mobilizing the joints.
  4. Modification: Modify yoga poses or pushup variations to reduce strain on the wrists. For example, you can use yoga props (e.g., blocks or wedges) or perform pushups on your fists or with your hands elevated on a stable surface.
  5. Gradual Progression: Progress slowly and gradually in your yoga or pushup practice to allow your wrists to adapt to increased demands over time.
  6. Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to any discomfort or pain in your wrists during yoga or pushups, and modify or discontinue the activity if necessary. Pushing through pain can lead to further injury.
  7. Rest and Recovery: Allow adequate time for rest and recovery between yoga sessions or workouts to prevent overuse injuries and promote healing.

Will your wrists get stronger with yoga?

Yes, practicing yoga can help strengthen your wrists over time. Yoga poses often involve weight-bearing on the hands, which can gradually build strength, stability, and endurance in the muscles and structures of the wrists. Here’s how yoga can contribute to wrist strength:

  1. Weight-bearing Poses: Many yoga poses, such as Downward-Facing Dog, Plank, and Arm Balances, require supporting a significant portion of your body weight on your hands and wrists. Regular practice of these poses can help strengthen the muscles, tendons, and ligaments surrounding the wrist joint.
  2. Isometric Contractions: Holding yoga poses that require stabilizing the wrists, such as Plank or Side Plank, involves isometric contractions of the wrist and forearm muscles. Isometric exercises can help increase muscle strength and endurance without requiring movement of the joint.
  3. Dynamic Movements: Flowing sequences in yoga, such as Sun Salutations, often involve transitioning between different poses with fluid movements. These dynamic movements engage the muscles of the wrists in various planes of motion, helping to improve overall wrist strength and mobility.
  4. Balance and Stability: Yoga poses that challenge balance and stability, such as Tree Pose or Warrior III, require subtle adjustments and micro-movements in the wrists to maintain alignment and support. Practicing these poses can enhance proprioception (awareness of body position) and strengthen stabilizing muscles around the wrist joint.
  5. Mind-Body Connection: Mindfulness and body awareness cultivated through yoga practice can help you tune into subtle sensations in the wrists and make adjustments to prevent strain or injury. Paying attention to proper alignment and engaging the muscles mindfully can promote safe and effective strengthening of the wrists.
  6. Progressive Overload: As you become more proficient in yoga and your practice evolves, you may explore more challenging poses and variations that further challenge the strength and stability of your wrists. Progressive overload, gradually increasing the intensity or difficulty of your practice over time, can promote continued improvements in wrist strength.

 

How to do push-ups without hurting your wrists?

If you experience wrist pain during push-ups, modifying your technique and incorporating wrist-friendly strategies can help alleviate discomfort and prevent injury. Here are some tips for doing push-ups without hurting your wrists:

  1. Proper Hand Placement: Position your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and spread your fingers wide to distribute your weight evenly across the palms. Avoid collapsing the wrists inward or outward, and keep them aligned with your shoulders.
  2. Neutral Wrist Position: Maintain a neutral wrist position by keeping your wrists straight and aligned with your forearms. Avoid excessive bending or hyperextension of the wrists, which can strain the joint.
  3. Use Fist Push-Ups: Instead of placing your palms flat on the ground, try doing push-ups on your fists. This can reduce the angle of wrist extension and decrease pressure on the wrists.
  4. Push-Up Handles or Parallettes: Use push-up handles or parallettes to elevate your hands off the ground and decrease the degree of wrist extension required. This can help alleviate wrist discomfort and provide a more comfortable hand position.
  5. Knuckle Push-Ups: Perform push-ups on your knuckles instead of your palms to minimize wrist strain. Be sure to cushion the floor with a yoga mat or exercise mat to protect your knuckles from abrasions.
  6. Modify Hand Position: Experiment with different hand positions to find what works best for your wrists. Some individuals find that turning their hands slightly outward (away from the body) or inward (towards the body) can reduce wrist strain during push-ups.
  7. Reduce Range of Motion: Limit the depth of your push-ups if you experience discomfort at the bottom of the movement. Performing partial push-ups or using a higher surface, such as a bench or countertop, can reduce wrist extension and make the exercise more manageable.
  8. Warm-Up and Stretch: Warm up your wrists before doing push-ups with gentle wrist stretches and movements. Focus on flexion, extension, and rotation of the wrists to improve flexibility and reduce tension in the wrist joint.
  9. Strengthen Wrist Muscles: Incorporate wrist-strengthening exercises into your fitness routine to improve stability and support for the wrist joint. Exercises such as wrist curls, wrist extensions, and grip strengtheners can help build wrist strength and resilience.
  10. Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to any discomfort or pain in your wrists during push-ups, and modify or discontinue the exercise if necessary. Pushing through pain can lead to further injury, so it’s essential to prioritize proper form and technique to protect your wrists.

I hope we were able to answer some of your questions about why our wrist might hurt if you do Yoga or pushups. If you would like us to evaluate you, and are in the Colorado area, contact us below to make an appointment at Easy Orthopedics.

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