Wrist injury

Hey everyone,

I’m 19 years old and I’ve been playing handball pretty seriously for over five years now.
About two weeks ago during practice—likely because I pushed myself a bit too hard and my focus slipped for a second—I had a nasty fall on my left hand, specifically landing right on my palm rather than my elbow.
Now, I’ve always been the type to take some hits; getting banged up is just part of the game when you play handball, so I didn't think much of it at first. It was definitely painful, though, and for a moment I actually feared I might have broken something since I couldn't even squeeze a ball properly. As it turns out, it wasn't a break, mainly because there wasn't any swelling or bruising or anything like that. For the first few days, things were pretty uncomfortable and I had to be careful not to overwork the hand. After about a week, I felt like I could do almost everything normally again, though I stayed away from actual training sessions because I was worried about making the injury worse. The pain has been tapering off steadily until today, yet it hasn't completely vanished. There is still this sharp little twinge whenever I twist my wrist quite far, and while I can manage push-ups, they still cause some discomfort. Look, it isn't such a catastrophic injury that I need to quit sports altogether, but our second half of the season is starting up very soon, and I really don't want to head into those games feeling restricted or unable to go all out. I honestly feel like if I went full tilt on some push-ups, the pain would just come rushing back. So, I am reaching out to anyone here who might have dealt with something similar. I'm honestly not sure if we're looking at a tendon issue or just a sprained wrist, so I'm hoping those of you with more experience might have some insight.

Thanks in advance!!

Jerry Ross2 said:Hey everyone,

I'm 19 and I've been playing handball seriously for over 5 years now.
About two weeks ago at practice—probably because I pushed too hard and lost focus for a second—I took a nasty fall on my left hand. Not the elbow, just straight onto my palm.
Usually, I can take a hit; that's just part of the game. But this one actually hurt. For a minute, I thought I broke something since I couldn't even grip the ball properly. Turns out it wasn't broken, though, because there was no swelling or bruising or anything. It felt weird for a few days so I tried not to use it much. After a week, I could pretty much do everything again (except training, 'cause I was scared to go back to practice and make it worse). The pain kept fading, but today... it's still there. It’s just a little sting, but only when I twist my wrist really far. I can do pushups, but they still hurt. Look, it's not like I'm quitting sports or anything, but our second half of the season starts soon, and I don't want to be sidelined. I feel like if I went all out on pushups right now, I'd be totally wrecked. So yeah, looking for some advice from anyone who's dealt with this. Not sure if it's a tendon issue or just a sprain, hoping you guys know more than I do.

Thanks in advance!!

You should probably get an X-ray of that wrist.

Daniel Hernandez3 said:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-cyst-2008.png I just wanted to share this image so you guys can get an idea of what it looks like. This isn't actually my hand, obviously, but my swelling is pretty much the same, maybe just a little bit smaller...

I dealt with the exact same thing just two days ago. I noticed you posted this back in 2010, so I was wondering, how did your hand end up doing after all this? What am I looking at here? 🙂

Hey, not sure if this is the right spot for this. If not, mods, please move the thread.

So, here's the deal. I started working out again a few days ago after a long break. Just bodyweight stuff—pull-ups, push-ups, the basics. No weights involved, just my own mass.

By the second day, the soreness hit me hard. I had to skip the next session because the pain was unreal; I couldn't even straighten my arms. They were stuck in this half-bent position.
For the next two days, I kept both arms wrapped in ACE bandages to dull the pain while trying to slowly stretch them back to normal.
The pain eventually died down, but my left arm has felt tight ever since. It still feels tight right now.
I managed to get through a workout the day before yesterday, and the arm seemed fine then. But today at work, I noticed my left forearm is swelling up. It’s about an inch wider than the right one. The swelling is moving toward my wrist, and it's starting to hurt, plus there's this tension running from my elbow upward.

I'm at work right now and won't be home until 8 PM. Should I be worried? What should I do?

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Excuse me, I am not entirely certain if this is the appropriate forum for such an inquiry, so if I have misjudged the venue, I would humbly request that the moderators relocate this thread accordingly...

The matter at hand is somewhat concerning, as I decided to resume my physical training a few days ago after quite a significant hiatus... nothing fancy, just the basics like pull-ups and push-ups, utilizing nothing but my own body weight rather than engaging with any heavy gym equipment or dumbbells...

However, by the second day, I was struck by intense muscle soreness... I actually had to skip my subsequent session because the pain was simply too much, and I found myself unable to even straighten my arms, which remained stuck in this awkward, semi-bent position...
For the following two days, I applied various ointments to both arms in an attempt to soothe the discomfort while gradually attempting to stretch them back into a normal position...
While the acute pain eventually subsided, there was this persistent sensation of tightness in my left arm that hasn't really left me, even now...
I managed to complete another workout the day before yesterday, and the arm seemed to be behaving itself at the time, but today, during my shift at work, I’ve noticed some swelling in my left arm... my forearm is visibly swollen, perhaps about an inch wider than the right one, and the swelling seems to be creeping toward my wrist... it’s also starting to ache, accompanied by a strange tension stretching from my elbow upward...

I am currently at the office and won't be heading home until around 8:00 PM... Should I be genuinely worried about this, and what would be the most prudent course of action?...

It sounds like you've strained your muscles and joints, and if that swelling is progressing the way you described, you might be dealing with severe inflammation... honestly, it’s best to see a doctor instead of trying to guess what's happening...

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Hey guys, I’m not totally sure if this is the right spot for this kind of thing, so if I’m barking up the wrong tree, I’d really appreciate it if the mods could just move this thread for me.

So, here’s the deal—I decided to get back into shape a few days ago after a massive hiatus. Just the standard bodyweight stuff, you know? Pull-ups, push-ups, the usual classics. No weights involved, just working with my own mass.

But man, by the second day, the muscle soreness hit me like a freight train. I actually had to skip my next session because the pain was so intense; I couldn't even straighten my arms out. They were stuck in this weird, semi-bent position.
For the next couple of days, I was basically slathering Bengay all over both arms trying to dull the ache, while slowly trying to force my arms back into a straight position.
The actual pain eventually subsided, but I’ve had this constant feeling of tightness in my left arm ever since.
I managed to squeeze in a workout the day before yesterday, and everything felt fine then. But today, while I'm at work, I’m noticing some swelling in my left arm. My forearm is puffing up—it looks about an inch wider than my right one. It’s creeping down toward my wrist, and now it’s starting to hurt again, along with this tight sensation running from my elbow upward.

I'm stuck at the office right now and won't be home until around 8 PM. Should I be freaking out, and what should I do?

Go ahead and check your radial pulse—just press your right index and middle fingers right under that area where your hand meets your thumb, near the edge. There’s a little groove there, you can't miss it.
If you can feel the pulse and your arm doesn't feel cold to the touch, you can probably hold off until tomorrow morning, but you definitely need to check in with your primary care doctor.

In the meantime, you can try using cold compresses (just water), or maybe some topical stuff like Voltaren, Luboreta, or Fastum gel—assuming you aren't allergic to any of that.

Just take it easy and rest for a bit.

It’s possible you were doing those push-ups on your palms and messed something up in the carpal tunnel, though honestly, we can't rule out a fracture 😲 either, so you really ought to get a professional to look at it.

velvetmoose9 said:Check your radial pulse. Put your index and middle fingers right under that area on the thumb side of your wrist—there’s a groove there, you can't miss it.
If you feel a pulse and your hand isn't cold, you can wait until tomorrow and then call your primary care doctor.

Use ice packs, apply some Voltaren or generic ibuprofen gel, or maybe some Diclofenac—assuming you aren't allergic to any of that stuff.

Just take it easy. Rest up.

You probably did pushups on your palms and messed up the alignment in your carpal tunnel. Or, it could be a fracture 😲, so you definitely need a pro to look at it.

I can feel a pulse, hand feels warm... normal, just swollen
And yeah, I was doing pushups on my palms on a concrete floor.
Applied some cream last night. Felt slightly better, but this morning it's back to how it was yesterday.

Waiting at the doctor's office now.