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Advice On How To Get Rid Of Wrist Pain When Doing Long/Aggressive Driving

18K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Anita 
#1 ·
Do any of you get pain in your wrists after driving for long periods of time or if you have been doing fairly aggressive driving like at the track. It happens when driving all my cars. Last weekend at the track was the worst so far! Saturday night I resorted to holding my wrists right up against the hot tub jets, followed by hefty dose of Advil. I try to maintain proper distance from the steering wheel, keep my hands somewhat relaxed on the wheel and not pull or jerk it. Anyone have any advice for me? Oh, I do wear my motocycle gloves with the gel pads on the track.

Thanks in advance!

Anita
 
#2 ·
Don't know, but just wanted to chime in to let you know you're not alone. I think the solution, though, is the same as with other repetitive stress injuries, which is to periodically move around, find positions that ease the strain and not keep the same exact position all the time. I would guess if you did a Google search for carpal tunnel and relief or cure, you'd find something. :crying:
 
#3 ·
Do you get wrist pain at other times? From other activities? I don't get wrist pain - just a blister on my shift hand if I don't wear gloves - but if the answer to the above is no, you are probably unconciously gripping the wheel way too tight. I have had some trouble with that - a hard habit to break. Just a thought...
 
#4 ·
Anita:

Proper driving position having been maintained, it is most likely an unconscious and prolonged lapse of overly tight grip on the steering wheel that causes the pain you describe. Ross Bentley mentioned during his talk at our CCA Holiday Dinner that he is constantly going through a mental check-list as he is driving long distances or during a race. Even the pros have to contend with that from time to time, I would imagine.


:cheers:
 
#5 ·
Anita said:
Do any of you get pain in your wrists after driving for long periods of time or if you have been doing fairly aggressive driving like at the track. It happens when driving all my cars. Last weekend at the track was the worst so far! Saturday night I resorted to holding my wrists right up against the hot tub jets, followed by hefty dose of Advil. I try to maintain proper distance from the steering wheel, keep my hands somewhat relaxed on the wheel and not pull or jerk it. Anyone have any advice for me? Oh, I do wear my motocycle gloves with the gel pads on the track.

Thanks in advance!

Anita
I sometimes have this problem after long drives, and it derives from holding onto the wheel tightly over a long period of time. In addition to periodically checking to try to relax your grip, one thing you might think about doing is some very light weight lifting between trips to the track. You can improve circulation and strength in your wrists by doing wrist curls. Consider three different exercises. Do about 20 reps with 2 or 3 lbs done both with your hand facing up and then with your hand facing down, while resting your forearms on your thighs will isolate your wrists. For the third exercise, move your hands out a little farther so your elbow rest on your knees and rotate the weights 180 degrees (back and then forth equals one rep).



can
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the info. Yes, I'm sure I was gripping the wheel extra hard last week after seeing that M Coupe crash and having my own less then optimal tires slipping all over. I will try to add that to my list of things to check when driving, just like I check the gauges, mirrors, etc. And thanks for the weight lifting tips. I currently use an at home universal-type weight machine and am pretty aggressive in the amount of weight I use (no surprise there if you knew me), although I have been working out less recently. I tend to whip the lawn mower around too. Okay, time to pay better attention to what I'm doing out there!
Thanks so much!
Anita
 
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