Arthritis in the Wrist

[DHBiker]

Does anyone here deal with Arthritis at all? I just got diagnosed with mild arthritis in my wrist. It stems from a fractured scaphoid from 10 or so years ago that took ages to heal. 2 surgeries, and over a year.

So, I'm not sure how to proceed. I see my physiotherapist on Tuesday, so I'll discuss things with her, but I'd like to hear a grapplers opinion. Did you take time off, do you wrap your wrist before rolling? Do you take any supplements that have helped? I've looked up some naturopathic remedies, but I have a hard time believing that drinking apple cider vinegar will help.

I have class tonight, so I'm going to go and take it easy and avoid making grips. then I'll go home and ice it and see how I feel tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[jr jr]

I had wrist surgery a few years ago. It actually prompted my change from full time judo and part time bjj to full time bjj with some judo on the side. I have arthritis although only officially diagnosed in the right knee (it does not bother me much). My wrist always hurts with weather changes and it is probably arthritic. I use to tape it up every class but I don't now. I am very aware of wrist locks and tap when I even catch a hint one is on its way.

Biggest thing to remember. Motion is lotion......

 

[Kenny from MD]

Take this with a grain of salt as it is all anecdotal and my arthritis is probably very minor compared to some others:

I have arthritis in my left hand from a bad break that tore a bunch of soft tissue, fluid eroded the joint, etc
Nothing anyone has ever given me in pill form, be it prescription or supplement has ever made a noticeable difference. People will tell you all sorts of bullshit from GNC to take and it is all an expensive waste of time.

I got a few cortisone injections into the actual joint (which felt insane) closer to when the injury occurred and I was still in a lot of pain, but the purpose of that was to reduce the inflammation and clear out the fluid that was further damaging the joint. It was NOT pain management, and my orthos recently have decided there's no need for more injections and it would only hurt the joint long term.

When it gets achey and sore and flares up, I tape it up properly for stability to make sure my fingers don't get bent sideways, which is what causes immense pain for me. The only pain relief when it aches its physical massage and heat compression.

Arthritis is a mother fucker, there is no cure. Bite down and deal with it.

 

[DHBiker]

Thanks guys. The naturopath way seems hokey to me, but I haven't fully looked into it yet. I'm not against trying something, as long as there's some proof it works, and it's not outrageously expensive.

The pain hasn't been an issue yet, it certainly gets sore but it's tolerable. I'm mostly concerned with long term and trying to not making it worse. I know it can't be healed, but I'd like to slow it down. @Kenny from MD You don't do anything to your wrist unless it's sore? How do you wrap your wrist? Do you still use collar and sleeve grips? I like playing spider guard...

Thanks again!

 

[CFGroup]

No cure for arthritis.

U r wearing out the cartilage in your joint so when it's gone it's gone!

I learned the hard way!

None of the "supplements" work.

Anything u get recommended lookup on.

Pubmed.gov

They have every peer reviewed study listed.

It took 5 years from when I started feeling my arthritis for it to force me off the mat. I stopped competing but continued to train at seminars, take Ukemi for demo's and Dan level grading.

I'm now exactly 5 weeks post op today from hip resurfacing where they take out the first layers of bone out install a ball and socket. Two days off the crutches drilling the PT like a psycho and a week into riding my bike again!

 

[Was at Pride GP 2000]

Fish oil, move free from costco And use lotion when you are strokin

 

[Kenny from MD]

Mine is my hand, not my wrist. The knuckle at the end of the second metacarpal. The break healed fine, but the soft tissue damage invited fluid which caused erosion of the joint. I only tape my hand and especially fingers to keep them from getting pulled side to side which causes the pain, not forward and back. I play every kind of guard with grips, and practice judo although it took a long time for me to regain any semblance of grip strength. My grip strength will never be strong in my left hand again, but I focus on placing correct and smart grips and they are still difficult to break. You just gotta get used to it.

 

[jr jr]

Thanks guys. The naturopath way seems hokey to me, but I haven't fully looked into it yet. I'm not against trying something, as long as there's some proof it works, and it's not outrageously expensive.

The pain hasn't been an issue yet, it certainly gets sore but it's tolerable. I'm mostly concerned with long term and trying to not making it worse. I know it can't be healed, but I'd like to slow it down. @Kenny from MD You don't do anything to your wrist unless it's sore? How do you wrap your wrist? Do you still use collar and sleeve grips? I like playing spider guard...

Thanks again!

I am not Kenny but....

I don't play much spider. Pocket grips work better than pistol grips for where mine was broken. I also only tape when it is sore (generally if i roll more than 3 days a week). I still play judo but with it I give up grips quicker than I use to. I always use a deep collar grip with few problems but on a cross collar choke I have spacific positions that hurt like a bitch. I avoid those.

When I do tape
1- Wrap the wrist. I generally wrap 3-4 inches from the hand.
2- Place anchor strips. Bend the wrist slightly limp (hehe) and anchor the palm of the hand to the wrist wrap. I use 3 5-6" pieces of tape in a fan pattern.
3- Use 2 pieces to lock the anchor strips. One around the wrist wrap and one around the hand between the thumb and index finger.
4- Close it all in. I now cover the entire area with one long piece of tape like a boxer with hand wraps.

There are a lot of little bones in the wrist. What hurts mine may be fine for you.