Wrist pain in the center of your wrist, and even closer to the thumb side of your wrist, can be a real headache.
You’re constantly reminded of it every time you lift weights, do yoga, or push yourself up from a chair. The truth is you can stop wrist pain. You don’t have to give up on the activities you love.
That’s why I’ve put together these 3 tips. I’ll walk you through proven strategies that actually work so you can stop wrist pain with extension and weight-bearing activities.
These will help you feel better, build strength, and have more confidence in using your wrist with your favorite workouts.
If you prefer to watch instead of read, then here’s my 3 Tips to Stop Wrist Pain with Extension and Weight Bearing YouTube video.
Key Takeaways
✅ Use targeted bracing to limit excessive extension & reduce ligament strain.
✅ Keep your scaphoid & lunate bones aligned with the right amount of direct support.
✅ Prevent painful instability deformities before they start.
✅ Perform isometric strengthening exercises to activate the right stabilizers.
✅ Learn how to maintain your wrist in a neutral position when lifting.
✅ Activate internal support to protect your joints.
Tip 1: Use External Support with the WriStable Brace
External support is using a brace or splint that stabilizes your wrist, like the WriStable brace from BraceLab.
When your wrist is feeling weak, unstable, or painful, the right brace can make all the difference. I’m not talking about a big bulky brace that locks your wrist in place and makes it impossible to move.
I’m talking about a brace that provides the right amount of support, exactly where you need it, without compromising your wrist motion, or the ability to do the activity you want to do.
Pain on the thumb side of your wrist, or center of your wrist, can be caused by:
- Wrist arthritis
- Sprains
- Previous wrist fracture
- Ligament instability
- Hypermobility
- Or wrist impingement.
When the ligaments or small bones in your wrist are injured or hypermobile, they can move in ways they shouldn’t. This is what causes pain and swelling and can give you the feeling of weakness and instability, especially when trying to put pressure or weight into them.
Scapholunate ligament injury
One cause of wrist pain and weakness when weight bearing is a scapholunate ligament injury. Often, this can be mistaken for a simple wrist sprain. This ligament plays a critical role in stabilizing your wrist.
However, when it’s injured, this can cause an abnormal amount of space between the scaphoid and lunate bones in your wrist, leading to instability, weakness, and pain. If not taken care of early, it can lead to painful instability deformities.
Wearing a brace like the WriStable can help during the early stages of ligament injury by acting as an external ligament to maintain alignment of your scaphoid and lunate bones.
The secret lies in the strap.
When the strap is applied precisely over the proximal row of your wrist, it will limit full wrist extension. This helps contain the carpal bones and reduces stress on your scapholunate ligament.
Having this type of targeted support increases your wrist stability, decreases your wrist pain, and can prevent your injury from getting worse while still allowing you to move into those weight bearing positions.
Hypermobility
Wrist pain can also result from hypermobility, or too much force to your wrist in extension. This often happens with activities like push-ups or extensive mat work in gymnastics or yoga, where the bones in the wrist can press against each other, leading to a painful condition called dorsal wrist abutment, also known as dorsal wrist impingement.
There really isn’t anything else like it on the market.
It’s the only brace I’ve found that stabilizes your wrist while still giving you enough flexibility to remain active and bear weight into your hands with less pain and more confidence. Making it perfect for activities like yoga, tennis, weight lifting but also everyday activities that may be causing wrist pain too.
Give the WriStable a try by clicking here.
Tip 2: Wrist Stability Exercises
Stop wrist pain during extension and weight-bearing by building wrist stability with strengthening exercises.
When dealing with wrist pain, it’s often better to work on stability rather than mobility.
Remember overstretching can often make things worse, especially if hypermobility is contributing to a wrist impingement. That’s why it’s important to do exercises that are backed by research to strengthen key muscles and tendons that build internal support and stability to the carpal bones in your wrist.
Plus, you can do these with added protection and support by wearing the WriStable brace.
I’m going to show you 3 isometric exercises that have been proven to help with wrist instability specifically on the radial or thumb side of the wrist.
But if you have pain on the pinky side of the wrist, these exercises are not for you!
You will start by doing 5 repetitions of each exercise, holding for 5 seconds. Keep in mind, these should not cause any pain.
If your wrist feels good after doing 5 repetitions for a few days then you will want to increase to 10 repetitions, eventually working up to 20 and then to 30 repetitions.
You want to do all the exercises in a palms down position because that is a more joint friendly position to start for this type of wrist pain.
3 Best Wrist Stability Exercises to Stop Wrist Pain
Exercise 1 is Isometric Wrist Extension in Pronation
First up, you’re targeting your extensor carpi radialis longus (ECRL) and extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) tendons that insert on the back of your wrist.
Start with the wrist you want to strengthen in a palm down position, elbow at your side, and fingers lightly curled into a fist.
Use your other hand to apply resistance on the top of your hand. The wrist you want to strengthen will push upwards against that resistance. Hold for 5 seconds, repeat 5 times.
Exercise 2 is Isometric Wrist Flexion in Pronation
Now, you’ll focus on one of your wrist flexors, your flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU).
Start in the same position as exercise 1—palm down, elbow at your side, and fingers lightly curled into a fist. This time your other hand will push up on the palm side of your hand. While the wrist you want to strengthen pushes downwards against the resistance. Hold for 5 seconds, repeat 5 times.
Exercise 3 is Isometric Thumb abduction in Pronation
Finally, this exercise strengthens one of the long tendons of your thumb, your Abductor Pollicis Longus (APL). Again, start with your palm down, elbow at your side. Stick your thumb out into slight extension. Do not stick your thumb too far out.
Next, your other hand will push up on the side of your thumb, while you push your thumb downwards against the resistance. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 5 times.
Again, you can increase to 10 repetitions, eventually working up to 20- 30 repetitions, 1-2 times a day.
Tip 3: Focus on Wrist Neutral Positioning
Stop wrist pain by learning how to maintain a neutral wrist position during your daily activities.
Think about how many activities you do that involve loading, lifting, or moving your wrist into extension or weight bearing positions —pushing yourself up from a chair, cutting vegetables, carrying bags, or lifting something heavy overhead.
You run the risk of unnecessary strain if you’re only supporting your wrists during yoga or your workouts. Not being mindful of your wrist position with everyday use can set back your healing and progress.
What is Wrist Neutral?
Wrist neutral is aligning your wrist and hand with your forearm — without excessive flexing, extending, or deviating. Focusing on keeping your wrist in a neutral position requires joint awareness and learning how to maintain a strong, stable position.
For example, if lifting something heavy increases your wrist pain, take a moment to check if you’re extending or deviating your wrist too much. Instead, modify by keeping a strong, neutral wrist and engaging your larger muscle groups in your shoulders to share the load.
Of course, this takes practice but your wrist will feel stronger.
Should you have a hard time remembering to keep your wrist in neutral, then wearing a supportive brace like the WriStable can provide helpful sensory feedback. This will remind you to correct your wrist position into proper alignment and reduce further joint stress.
Making these small but consistent modifications in how you use your wrist, combined with proven strengthening exercises, can go a long way in managing wrist pain. Over time, your hands will feel strong and stable- leading to long term pain relief.
Bonus Tip
Lastly, I’d like to share a quick bonus tip. You can call it tip #4! That is to see a Board certified hand surgeon or a certified hand therapist. If you are having unresolved wrist pain or instability, a hand expert can truly understand the complex wrist anatomy.
They could create a more customized program that works for you.
Conclusion:
In order to continue your workouts pain free, you may need to wear an external support such as the WriStable brace, add daily wrist strengthening exercises, and maintain a stable wrist position when you lift objects.
Staying focused on these areas can stop wrist pain, while improving your confidence with extension and weight-bearing activities.
