Wrist pain in athletes
In this video we will be discussing a common cause of wrist pain and dysfunction in athletes: scapholunate instability.
Lets review some anatomy first.
The wrist joint is formed by the scaphoid and lunate bones forming a “keystone” of the arch of the wrist, connecting with the radius bone of the forearm.
The stability of the scaphoid and lunate is formed primarily by the scapholunate interosseous ligament and secondarily by several additional layers on the palm and back of the hand.
The scapholunate interosseous ligament may be disrupted- either by a single traumatic incident like a fall on an outstretched hand, or by repetitive micro trauma, like back handsprings in gymnasts, or when pressure is applied to the body when a grappler is performing a technical standup.
This creates a mechanical change in how the wrist functions. The stress that would normally be directed through this “keystone”, is shifted to other structures of the wrist, often causing pain, instability or limiting range of motion. Athletes may also report weakness with gripping activities.
The secondary support structures of the wrist may become overstressed and the athlete may experience subsequent trauma. This may include joint degeneration, ligamentous instability, and in rare cases, avascular necrosis of the scaphoid bone.
While surgical intervention is not usually needed, conservative care is often the first line of treatment to reduce pain, restore wrist mobility and improve strength with sports related tasks.
Athletes performing the following tasks may experience this type of wrist pain: the front rack position (weightlifting, crossfit), backhand springs (gymnastics), punching (boxers, MMA), technical stand up (grapplers, wrestlers, brazilian jiu jitsu).
If you are an athlete in Miami experiencing wrist pain with sports participation, give our office a call. We can help you manage this issue without medicine, injections or surgery.