To rest or not to rest

[Dreadnought]

I've come across a problem, Rangers, and I hope that you can guide me in the right direction.

Around September/October of 2007, I hurt my wrist pretty badly. It didn't start hurting after any specific event, but rather as I was relaxing I noticed that bending it a certain way caused a lot of discomfort. I didn't go to the doctor because no abrupt trauma had hurt it, so I decided to pass it off as a workout pain and left it alone.

I rested it, while wearing a wrist stabilizer, for a couple of weeks, not doing any upperbody exercises nor playing guitar. After the two weeks it still felt funny, and still does to this day. I can do every normal task imaginable, it doesn't impede me. I have full range of motion.

However, I recently got a gym membership in order to achieve better overall fitness before I shipout, and I have increased my regular bodyweight workouts (pushup exercises, pullup exercises) to about 2 hours every day, rest on weekends. This seems to be aggravating my wrist, because since starting this accelerated routine I have noticed more discomfort in the wrist. Still full range of motion.

I went to a doctor at one point, a couple months after the initial pain in Sept/October, and they X-rayed and found nothing wrong. He gave me some anti-inflammatory drugs, Naproxen, and sent me on my way.

I'm concerned that it's probably tendonitis, or another overuse related injury.

It's a catch-22 because I want to train my body more and more as I get closer to shipping out, but I'm worried that I will damage my wrist and it will be weak for BCT, BAT, and RIP.

Should I take an extended break, like 4 weeks or so, from doing upperbody exercises and anything that would aggravate my wrist? Or should I continue working out and just pass it off as a pain that I'll have to deal with? At the moment I can get a perfect score on the pushup, situp, and pullup portions of the PFT.

Thank you for your help, and I aplogize if there is excess information, I wanted to be as clear as possible so that the best help could be rendered.

[PocketKings]

Since you appear to be a PT maxing stud, then taking a little time off won't kill you. I'd have a different opinion if you were a weakling. You'll have time to build back up. I'd hate to see it aggravate into something worse.

That said, if it aggravates into something worse during RIP, suck it up. You have 2 wrists, but only one shot at being a Ranger.

My left wrist was wrecked from two bad breaks prior to going in and it gave me trouble the whole time. It's just one of those things you need to be smart about while not shamming. Fine line.

[Flesh Thorn]

My opinion is that since you are doing really well on your P.T. then taking a break to allow your wrist to heal before BCT would be the only sensible thing to do. Maybe just do enough push ups and pull ups to keep the groove greased and keep up your running and other cardio.

[Ranger Bill]

RICE for about a week or two.

Two hours a day is too much for you at this time and that is what your body is telling you. Cut back to 45 minutes to one hour and to every other day. You will get just as strong and build just as much endurance and probably more so. And you won't be as plagued with overuse injuries. With any form of exercise, if you want to do longer workouts with more intensity, you have to work up to them slowly over time. You rushed into a more advanced program before your body was conditioned to it. With exercise, more is not always better.

Your opportunity to push yourself into pain will cme soon enough, when you arrive for RIP.

[Dreadnought]

Roger that Rangers PocketKings, Flesh Thorn, and Ranger Bill. Thank you.

I'm going to rest the wrist for 4 weeks, and then after that keep it light with just bodyweight workouts like pushups and pullups, though not too often, as per the advice of Ranger Ranger Bill.

In the meantime I'm going to keep up my leg workouts and my ab workouts, along with the cycling as a cardio other than running.

[FireFinder]

I tweaked the hell out of my L wrist using the mechanical dip machine in the gym while rehabbing from having back surgery in 2006. 13 months later I had it scoped, and I regret having that done as it took 4 months to get ROM back. The original diagnosis was a possible TFC tear, though they never found anything wrong, he did debride some scar tissue during the scope job, and after about 8-10 weeks post op, the pain I had was gone.

Seek out a PT that specializes in Hand, Wrist, Elbow and Shoulder injuries. Make that PT your new best friend.

[Dreadnought]

Rangers, do you think it would be a good idea to get an MRI on the wrist? I had an X-Ray done a long time ago, and all of the bone structures were intact and in place.

[FireFinder]

Rangers, do you think it would be a good idea to get an MRI on the wrist? I had an X-Ray done a long time ago, and all of the bone structures were intact and in place.

A MRI arthrogram will show any damage to the soft tissues in the wrist.

Don't dick around with an ordinary doc, go see one that specializes or is a certified hand surgeon.

I first saw the doc in August of 2006, had the MRI arthrogram (which was negative - IMHO, a good thing). He sent me to the physical therapists that specialize in hand, wrist, elbow, etc. They made me a muenster splint that I wore for 8 weeks, and I had one cortisone injection right into the affected area. I did rehab for several months, and the pain wasn't going away. It hurt to twist doorknobs, and impacted my pistol shooting, and I couldn't hold as much as a 5 lb. weight in that hand without pain in the wrist. The doc said he would scope it (sometimes arthroscopy is the only way to find damage in that area) and debride any scar tissue.

I had my wrist scoped in August of 2007 and it was November of 2007 before I felt 100%.

Find a specialist.

[Dreadnought]

Well I haven't done real upper body exercise since the original post, and my wrist has been feeling better. The pain subsided over the first two weeks of break, but it still feels funny and has a twinge of discomfort every now and then.

I've picked up my M1 replica drill rifle again, and I'm starting to get back into some spins and basic exhibition drill movements in order to try and strengthen my wrist, as wrist injuries that I recieved when I was active on a drill team never lasted very long.

Do you all think that this is a good/bad idea? Thank you.

[Ranger Bill]

Certainly not medical advice, just my opinion... You rifle drill movements are done quickly, causing rapid twissting movements and starts and stops. This is what casued your injuries in the first place. My advice is to do slow, controlled movements, like wrist curls and reverse wrist curls, with a 1 1/2 to 2 second up, a 1 second pause at the top, a 1 1/2 to 2 second down and a 1 second pause at the bottom. Do these across a bench, not on your knees. Start out with a light weight that you can comfortably do 12 repetitions with each arm. When you can do 15 reps with that weight, increase it by 1 to 2 pounds. Work your weakest wrist first and then do the same amount of weight with your stronger wrist. Do these every other day. The first week, do just one set of each, the second week, do two sets. If you don't have access to dumbells, you can use a bucket with water or sand in it.

[Dreadnought]

Thank you for that exercise advice Ranger Bill, I'll give it a shot!

Because I'm only about 4 weeks out from shipping out, I think I need to get my pushups back up to where I know they need to be. Nothing fancy, just regular pushups every other day to get back into the swing of things.

No pullups, even though I'm good at them, I think they are excess strain on the wrist. No modified pushups either, I think, like diamonds, divebombers, or hindus.

What do you think of that idea, Ranger Bill? I'm worried about going to OSUT so cold.

[Ranger Bill]

There are a number of ways to get better at pushups. My suggestion for you at this time is to do one set of as many as you can without stopping, just like in a PT test. Rest a minute and then do another set of as many as you can. Then rest another minute and do another set. Write down how many pushups you get on each of the sets. You could do thsee every day, but if your wrists are feeling the effect, do them every other day. But every time you do them, be certain that for every set you get at least one more repetition than you did the time before.