Adjusting A Wrist Brace Properly
Whatever reason you're wearing a wrist brace for, there are some general bits of advice you should follow in getting the maximum benefit out of them.
First, make sure your wrist brace is the right size; ones you can buy at the drug store are usually specified as child, small, medium, large and extra large. These are generally measured by the circumference of the wrist they're designed to go around and have a palm rest and a forearm length based on the average sized individual with that sized wrist. For 95% of people in the world, those wrist brace sizes are the right size. In cases where they aren't the right size, it's usually that they're too small when wrapped around the forearm.
Next, check that you are tightening them in a way that will not aggravate your injury. Wrist braces help you by preventing you from accidentally flexing your wrist in a manner that would worsen your injury. The kind of injury you suffer will determine how much you can be moving your wrist.
If the wrist brace is used to fight tendonitis then it should be tightened to stop lateral movement of the wrist. By holding your hand out straight from your wrist, the plane is outlined by your thumb and pinkie should be the area that your wrist's motion is confined within.
If you're trying to remedy carpal tunnel syndrome, you want to keep your wrist from bending downward at all, or upward by more than a few degrees. You'll also need to be more careful with padding in your wrist brace when dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Wrist braces that are created to restrain the wrist because of a sprain must be able to totally restrain it in both areas of movement, and generally should cover more of the upper arm too because that is where the ligaments that manage wrist motion run, and might look like Ace bandages rather than a regular wrist brace.
Staying comfortable when wearing a wrist brace will require you to look for stuff on the inside surface such as seams or loose threads that may irritate the skin. Some individuals advise to wrap the hand and wrist and lower forearm in some gauze before wearing the wrist brace. This will provide a buffer, will absorb sweat, and will keep the seams for the brace from rubbing against your skin. Keep your wrist brace clean by washing it twice a week and you can even run it through the washer or dryer without damage.
Do not tighten your wrist brace too much. It should fit snuggly however; it should not prevent the blood flow to the wrist or hand. Many people tend to pull the straps as tight as possible. Put it on, tighten it, and do things you usually do and loosen it if it needed. To remember how tight you should fasten the straps, you can use a sharpie marker to note how tight the straps should go once you have determined this.
First, make sure your wrist brace is the right size; ones you can buy at the drug store are usually specified as child, small, medium, large and extra large. These are generally measured by the circumference of the wrist they're designed to go around and have a palm rest and a forearm length based on the average sized individual with that sized wrist. For 95% of people in the world, those wrist brace sizes are the right size. In cases where they aren't the right size, it's usually that they're too small when wrapped around the forearm.
Next, check that you are tightening them in a way that will not aggravate your injury. Wrist braces help you by preventing you from accidentally flexing your wrist in a manner that would worsen your injury. The kind of injury you suffer will determine how much you can be moving your wrist.
If the wrist brace is used to fight tendonitis then it should be tightened to stop lateral movement of the wrist. By holding your hand out straight from your wrist, the plane is outlined by your thumb and pinkie should be the area that your wrist's motion is confined within.
If you're trying to remedy carpal tunnel syndrome, you want to keep your wrist from bending downward at all, or upward by more than a few degrees. You'll also need to be more careful with padding in your wrist brace when dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Wrist braces that are created to restrain the wrist because of a sprain must be able to totally restrain it in both areas of movement, and generally should cover more of the upper arm too because that is where the ligaments that manage wrist motion run, and might look like Ace bandages rather than a regular wrist brace.
Staying comfortable when wearing a wrist brace will require you to look for stuff on the inside surface such as seams or loose threads that may irritate the skin. Some individuals advise to wrap the hand and wrist and lower forearm in some gauze before wearing the wrist brace. This will provide a buffer, will absorb sweat, and will keep the seams for the brace from rubbing against your skin. Keep your wrist brace clean by washing it twice a week and you can even run it through the washer or dryer without damage.
Do not tighten your wrist brace too much. It should fit snuggly however; it should not prevent the blood flow to the wrist or hand. Many people tend to pull the straps as tight as possible. Put it on, tighten it, and do things you usually do and loosen it if it needed. To remember how tight you should fasten the straps, you can use a sharpie marker to note how tight the straps should go once you have determined this.
About the Author:
Tom Nicholson has spent years helping carpal tunnel sufferers. Please click here to learn more regarding having asore wrist.