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A wrist brace is a supportive garment worn around the
They are indicated for wrist
Image: Leconte WIM2010.jpg, Tennis Player with wrist brace
Image: Tom Goegebuer.jpg, Weight lifter with wrist brace
Image: Tom Varnedell.JPG, Rugby player with wrist brace
Image: Wrist Brace (Creator-WikiSimplicity).JPG, Wrist brace
A wrist brace is a supportive garment worn around the wrist
In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as (1) the Carpal bones, carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; "The wrist contains eight bones, roughly aligned in two rows, known ...
to reinforce and protect it against strain
Strain may refer to:
Science and technology
* Strain (biology), variants of plants, viruses or bacteria; or an inbred animal used for experimental purposes
* Strain (chemistry), a chemical stress of a molecule
* Strain (injury), an injury to a mu ...
s and sprain
A sprain, also known as a torn ligament, is an acute soft tissue injury of the ligaments within a joint, often caused by a sudden movement abruptly forcing the joint to exceed its functional range of motion. Ligaments are tough, inelastic fibers ...
s during strong use, or as a splint to help healing
With physical trauma or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repairing of damaged tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of (normal) functioning. Medicine includes the process by which the cells i ...
. Wrist braces are common accessories in injury rehabilitation processes involving the wrist. They immobilize the joint and provide heat and compression to the wrist bones and ligaments. Currently, they are made with a rigid tissue nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic.
Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...
fabrics or neoprene
Neoprene (also polychloroprene) is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene.Werner Obrecht, Jean-Pierre Lambert, Michael Happ, Christiane Oppenheimer-Stix, John Dunn and Ralf Krüger "Rubber, 4. Emulsion R ...
that allows limited mobility of the hand and wrist and are usually fixed with Velcro
Velcro, officially known as Velcro IP Holdings LLC and trading as Velcro Companies, is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fasten ...
, some times with extensions to ensure they cover part of the hand adhering around thumb
The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...
. In severe cases, they incorporate metal "spines" to better immobilize the joint.
Uses
They are indicated for wrist trauma
Trauma most often refers to:
* Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source
* Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event
*Traumatic i ...
with and without fracture, immobilization of the joint, postoperative synovitis
Synovitis is the medical term for inflammation of the synovial membrane. This membrane lines joints that possess cavities, known as synovial joints. The condition is usually painful, particularly when the joint is moved. The joint usually swel ...
, recurrent degenerative sprain
A sprain, also known as a torn ligament, is an acute soft tissue injury of the ligaments within a joint, often caused by a sudden movement abruptly forcing the joint to exceed its functional range of motion. Ligaments are tough, inelastic fibers ...
s or articulation inflammation
Inflammation (from la, wikt:en:inflammatio#Latin, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or Irritation, irritants, and is a protective response involving im ...
s, among many other cases.
In rehabilitation to immobilize the wrist into a neutral position, which "theoretically minimizes stress at the repair site".
Use in sports
The wrist braces have a protective role in activities where wrists require extraordinary effort likeweight lifting
Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various types of competition; promo ...
or bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...
. In these cases, using pressure around the wrist may prevent sprains and strains.
Finally, are used in sports which force the wrist play, as those played with a paddle or racket (tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
, paddle
A paddle is a handheld tool with an elongated handle and a flat, widened distal end (i.e. the ''blade''), used as a lever to apply force onto the bladed end. It most commonly describes a completely handheld tool used to propel a human-powered wa ...
, badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
) or hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
. Some times they have a double purpose: protect the wrist from injuries and wipe the sweat from the forehead. For this purpose they are made in absorbent materials such as cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
or plush
Plush (from French language, French ) is a textile having a cut nap (textile), nap or pile (textile), pile the same as fustian or velvet. Its softness of feel gave rise to the adjective "plush" to describe something soft or luxurious, which was e ...
.
In artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...
, gymnasts will sometimes wear wrist guards to absorb the impact on the skills they perform. The guards are commonly worn for Vaulting and Floor exercises. The design is modified between women and men.
See also
*Ankle brace
An ankle brace is a garment that is worn around the ankle to protect it or for immobilization while allowing it to heal from sprains and other minor injuries. Ankle braces are used to immobilize the joint while providing heat and compression to t ...
* Open wrist
*Wristband
Wristbands are encircling strips worn on the wrist or lower forearm. The term can be used to refer to a bracelet-like band, similar to that of a wristwatch, to the cuff or other part of a sleeve that covers the wrist, or decorative or function ...
References
External links
*{{Cite web, work=Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, url=http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/carpal-tunnel-syndrome/DS00326/DSECTION=symptoms, title=Symptoms, publisher=Mayo Clinic Orthopedic braces Sportswear Wrist Handwear Protective gear