It feels great when you finally reach a new personal best on the bench. Bench pressing is a great exercise for building muscle strength and contributing to your overall wellness. But if wrist pain has been preventing you from reaching your goals, it can be very discouraging. Unfortunately, wrist pain is a common complaint among bodybuilders and others who often use bench pressing as part of their exercise routine.
Improper form is often the culprit behind feeling pain in your wrists when benching. Positioning the bar too high in your hands, placing your hands too far apart or bending your wrists too much when you press are all common mistakes that can cause your wrist to hurt. These are common mistakes that beginners make when they first start out with the bench press. But your wrist pain may also be a sign of something more serious.
What is causing my wrist to hurt when benching?
If you are practicing good form when benching and you still experience wrist pain, it may be time to visit a physical therapist. Your physical therapist can work to determine the cause of your wrist pain and help you to treat it. Here are four issues that could be the reason your wrist hurts when benching:
- Osteoarthritis — While most people associate osteoarthritis with aging, it is possible to develop the condition in your wrists due to overexertion or injury. Those who have suffered a wrist injury in the past are prone to developing osteoarthritis at an earlier age.
- Wrist sprains — A sprain is a stretching or tearing of the ligaments that connect your joints. A wrist can become sprained when the wrist is bent too far in one direction. If you fall and catch yourself using your hands, you may sprain your wrists.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome — While carpal tunnel syndrome is more common among office workers, the condition can happen to anyone who often performs repetitive movements. Repetitive pressure on the wrists cause the nerves in the wrist to become compressed, causing wrist pain as well as numbness and tingling in the hands and fingers.
- Wrist fractures — A fracture occurs when one of the bones in the wrist becomes cracked or broken. Some wrist fractures are more severe than others, and minor wrist fractures might not be immediately obvious. Pain, swelling and tenderness are all symptoms of a fractured wrist.
Can Whatcom Physical Therapy help treat my wrist pain while benching?
Thankfully, many of the most common causes of wrist pain can be treated without the need for surgery. That’s where the experts at Whatcom Physical Therapy come in. Our team of experienced physical therapy specialists can pinpoint the cause of your wrist pain and work with you to find the best treatment methods for your needs.
The goal of physical therapy is to help treat your painful conditions without the need for surgery or pain medications. Whatcom Physical Therapy can treat wrist pain using a number of proven physical therapy methods, including:
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
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