Wrist Sprain in Soccer

What is actually a wrist sprain?
A wrist strain often occurs when your stretch the ligaments of your wrist beyond their limits. The ligaments are used to stabilize your hand and also to allow you to perform different motions. When they are damaged you will not be able to use your arm properly.

There are generally three grades of a wrist injury and these are:

• Grade I - Your ligaments are stretched but not teared.
• Grade II - The ligaments of your wrist are partially torn.
• Grade III - The ligaments of your wrist are completely torn.

When you should contact a doctor
- Swelling around your wrist joint.
- You feel pain while resting (after the first hour).
- Hard to move your joint without having pain.
- You feel pain while moving your fingers.
- Pain while doing small motions with your wrist.
- Bruising or discoloration of your skin.

Treatment
The R.I.C.E method for treating your wrist sprain should be used as first aid. One thing you should keep in mind is to never diagnose yourself. Always consult an orthopedic in order to get your injury evaluated before starting to treat and rehab yourself. Following is an explanation of how to use the R.I.C.E method for sprained wrists treatment:

Rest - The first 24-48 hours after your injury is the most critical ones. In order to avoid causing yourself more pain you should try to avoid any activities that may risk worsening your injury. One smart thing is to use a splint in order to stabilize your wrist.

Ice - Try to ice your wrist for the first 48 hours of the injury. Use an icepack (OBS, do not apply the Icepack directly on your skin!). Ice your wrist 15-20 minutes at a time every 3-4 hours. You may also use a pack of frozen vegetables instead of ice. This is great because you will be able to re-use the bag many times.

Compression - In the early days of your wrist injury you should try to use some form of compression. The wrap should be snug but you should not cut off the blood circulation to your wrist. Remember: If your fingers start to become cold, blue or tingle take off the compression immediately. Wait for some time and re-wrap again.

Elevate - Try to keep your wrist higher than your head as it will help the blood to circulate better and also decrease your injury time. Elevate while sleeping by placing a pillow or something similar under your arm.

Rehab
After a week or so you may start with rehab exercises in order to strengthen your wrist. One popular method is to use Isometric strengthening: Stat by gripping a rubble ball without moving your wrist. Squeeze the ball for about 30-40 seconds, and then release it. Repeat this 15-20 times, twice per day.

Range of motion: Warm up your wrist for 10-15 minutes by putting it in warm water. Start to bend your wrist gently back until you feel uncomfortable, than hold that stretch for about 30-35 seconds. Rest for 2 minutes and then repeat. Do this 5 times or so twice per day. If your wrist has increased discomfort after your exercises, put the ice on it.