The ability to tolerate weight-bearing wrist extension is essential to many upper body exercises and activities. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy practices we often see patients and athletes limited by pain in their hands and wrists. Wrist pain with weight-bearing can impact your ability to do push ups, arm balances, handstands, etc. and can reduce your participation in workouts, yoga, and other activities.
One thing that can contribute to wrist pain in these positions can be limited mobility in the wrist joint. A technique to help reduce pain with weight-bearing is a self mobilization with a band:
To perform, place the band below the two bony bumps in your forearm that attach to the wrist. Pull the band tight and anchor the opposite end with your foot. Start with the wrist in a neutral position and work into progressively more wrist extension. You should not feel pain while doing this exercise. Repeat up to 15-20 times and see if your wrist pain improves with your painful activity!