Modifications for Wrist Pain

This little short demo is, um, some options for you if you have risks issues. Um, we get a lot of questions here at pilates anytime as to how can I do some of the weight bearing exercises if my wrists, um, can't accommodate the weight, um, or with osteoporosis or various other conditions that may be pertaining to you. So what I'm going to do is just show you some options that you may be able to just interject into any of our classes in hopes that you won't feel like you have to sit exercises out completely. Um, to begin, I'm just showing you some the easiest way to change things first rather than getting extra parts or props. Um, if you're in an exercise that requires you to be on the wrist and that's not gonna suit you, the first thing that comes to mind for me or if I've been on my wrist too long, is to just simply make a fist and straighten out that angle at the wrist. Uh, so there's not so much press pressure on those small bones. Um, of course you have to be able to accommodate that in your, your knuckles and that may or may not work for you. But that's, that's often you'll see me in my own classes. If I find that I've been on my arms too long or my wrist too long, I'll simply switch from there to there and it often feels like a much stronger position. So that's one option for you. Another one that wouldn't require too much moving around where you could stay with the flow of class is to take the mat you're using and roll it.

Or if folded, if it's a yoga mat that might work better either way, roll it up a little bit and you'll have to decide what's most appropriate for you. But then you take your hand to the edge, the heel of the hand to the edge of the mat so that again, it decreases that angle, which is often the problem. So it takes you from 90 degree angle at that wrist joint to, I don't know, less. Okay. And often that's just that little difference can make all the difference in your class or in the wrist. There's one option for you. No one's quite a nice option by the way it works however you're positioned in class. Okay. Um, another option while I'm thinking about it that we sometimes suggest and you'll see quite a lot, is just rather than, again taking the hands, I'm thinking of back support right now where we might be in this type of position where the fingers are meant to face forward. Sometimes if you just turn them sideways that it takes the pressure off that angle. So it may be something simple like that that you can do. Um, and then finally, at least what I'll show you for now is if wherever you're working out, you have a set of dumbbells, um, the two and three pounders won't really work cause you need to be able to fit your whole hand around the center.

What you can do is instead of the fist, remember we had the fist as an option. If it, if you can't be on your knuckles, you can grab that weight, make sure you're stable as always, and then take yourself into it. My hands are not touching the mat at all. Okay. You still have to be cured. You still have be stable. Right. In that if you're doing something like that, you've got to be ready not to let that weight roll. Okay. It's not so hard to do. You just, you have to be prepared to think about it like that.

So there's some options for you. Hopefully one of those will work for you, and if not, there are products out on the market that you can look for and typically in a class that requires a lot of wrist action, the instructor will also provide you modifications.