First Knuckle Pushups for Dorsal Wrist Impingement Rehab and Prehab

[Graham Baran-Mickle]

Hey guys, just wanted to mention that I've managed to pretty much kick a pretty bad case of dorsal wrist impingement in my left wrist that left me unable to even do pushups, and I attribute it almost entirely to first knuckle pushups.

 

I've seen a lost of people on here complain about wrist pain during different exercises in different places, and as someone who's now had dorsal impingement, forearm splints, and elbow tendonitis, I cannot stress how important prehab is.

What gave me dorsal impingement six months ago was doing straddle press handstands, with apparently poorly-prepared wrists. I'd done them fine before, but I dropped them in a workout without having done them for a few weeks, and something went wrong. I stopped training for months, due to wanting to rest it and being demoralized in general (I couldn't lift myself off the floor with that hand, the slightest pressure on my palm triggered pain, and handstands, which I love, were out of the question). It didn't go away. But after I started doing first knuckle pushups (mainly just in a PU position and raising my knuckles with as much weight as they would take, not actually doing a PU) to strengthen the weak ROM, magic has been worked. I don't know if it's completely better, but I want to give it a few more weeks and not push it, but I can at least do pushups and even tumble with a Tiger's Paw on, and I haven't felt pain (which would only happen when my wrist was pushed into unhappy flexion) for a month or two, even though I've started training again. I now do rice bucket exercises and three types of wrist pushups twice daily to try to fully slay the beast.

 

Success!

I just wanted to share. 

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

Well done, thanks for sharing your sucess in "slaying the beast"

[Keilani Gutierrez]

I feel ya there with the whole wrist malfunction. I'm currently working on years of destructive concrete spanking and high fiving from bailing on the 20". I'm happy for you on your road to recovery #applaud

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

(...) I'm currently working on years of destructive concrete spanking and high fiving from bailing on the 20".

 

What does that mean?

[Keilani Gutierrez]

What does that mean?

hahahaha! I ride bmx in parks/trails/street, so from all the bails, I would try my best to break my falls martial arts style and ended up failing a lot. once i literally landed in an elbow lever-ish position and separated my shoulder. right arm. body went leftwards, arm continued going right.   actually...I'm interested in knowing why my wrist pushups haven't gotten much stronger. i'm currently doing 1 set of 5 for prehab, every single time I workout(which is 5 days a week now) and sometimes they feel on point, where i can feel a pistoning motion to get in and out of that position, but other times im all dead fish on the way down and can't get back up without getting one wrist up. 

 

ideas?

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

Thank you.

I also found wrists push ups very, very hard at first.

I started to do them on the wall, with my feet really close - did them every day 2x10 or 4x10 for over a month now, and was able to inch my feet back from the wall.

They have become much easier, but the first few weeks, I felt like I was going nowhere.

I also do the wrists novel movements, Coach wrists routine on the floor, and wrists rotations every single day.

 

Take your time, make it a habit, don't overdo it, and don't worry about daily progress; in a month or two, you'll see some results 

[Keilani Gutierrez]

right. I should figured that more volume would make them stronger seeing how it's a more tendon focused exercises. 

 

I know I can do 2x10 on the wall. i'll do those from now on. 

[Joel Tomkins]

Cool, good to know. I think I've got myself a fairly mild case of DWI but taking it easy just to be sure. Will give them a go!

[Paul Del Casino]

"...and I haven't felt pain (which would only happen when my wrist was pushed into unhappy flexion) for a month or two..."

 

Did you mean "unhappy EXTENSION" instead of flexion? I can fully extend my wrist without pain, but as soon as I put any kind of weight on it, it hurts.

I just developed DWI on my right maybe a couple weeks ago. I've been working on HS, HBP, and straddle planche progressions. So I've stopped all of those for now and started doing wrist curls in 3 axes, novel wrist movements, sqeezing a tennis ball, back of wrist PUs, and slow deliberate wrist rotations daily. So far I haven't seen any improvement but from the look of what I've read, it takes awhile. I'm going to try holding the first knuckle PU position, which hasn't been a problem up to now.

So you don't actually DO the FK PU? You just hold the position? 

I'm looking for any help/suggestions to clear this up.

 

Thanks.