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Message: [QUOTE="Little_John, post: 795101, member: 54195"] DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, nurse, nurse's assistant etc. or even in the health profession. What you do to your body is your business, but I suggest seeking medical assistance if/when you are injured. Well, here I am nursing yet another minor injury (sprained wrist). While I'm out of commission I figured I'd give some helpful advice and hope that others would chime in with their advice as well. My wife wonders why I keep riding; I know why I do it…I LOVE IT and so do you that's why you're even reading this. Just a bit of background on me, I was in the Army for 8 years. I was given a medical discharge due to "developing" bad knees. I've spent a lot of time in physical therapy and spent a lot more time helping others who "couldn't hack it". What I'll write here for you are my personal experiences this is just what's worked for me. So, here's what I got… [B]Knees[/B], right after the feet, are probably the most abused and least thought about part of our bodies. If you've ever had a knee injury you know what I'm saying. You never really realize how much you rely on your knees until one of them is hurt. I've used ice, heat, ibuprofen, naproxen, patellar taping (see also McConnell's taping), and exercise. Resolution: What I've learned over the years is, of course, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". This may seem obvious to most of us, but how many of us really live this? While on my can, I did leg lifts without weight. This is something you can do while you’re sitting on the couch watching TV, just put a pillow under your leg so you don't drag the ground with your foot and get to lifting. Over the course of a couple weeks add a few pounds to your ankle and continue this cycle gradually. That whole "no pain, no gain" crap is just that, crap. Exercise should not HURT. You should exert yourself, but you should not hurt yourself, find the happy medium. Once my knees healed to the degree where I could get around again, I hit the gym. Since I've been out of the military I've not been able to go to the gym due to time constraints, cost and general laziness. In lieu of the gym, I've found Tai Chi to be a really great work-out, especially for the knees, as well as being adaptable enough (stance height) to work well regardless of someone's fitness level. Work slow and within your fitness level and you'll be amazed at the results. Watching someone do Tai Chi, you'd think "that's easy, I can do that". Well, go ahead, give it a shot and then see how you feel about it. What ever you do, gym, Tai Chi, or whatever just remember to work within your limits and don't overdo it. [B]Wrists[/B], now this seems to be a major problem for me for whatever reason. I don't know why but it seems every other crash I'll jam my wrist and get myself a nice little sprain. That's what I get for trying to stop gravity from working so damn fast. Here's what I do. Go to the doctor, get your x-ray and make sure you've not broken any bones. Get a wrist brace, some decent meds and an exercise ball (like one of those stress ball things) and go. Spend a lot of time with your new friend (the stress ball), and I mean a lot of time. Any time your hand is empty, it shouldn't be empty. Put your new buddy in that sucker and get to work. A stress ball will work your hand as well as your fore arm. Don't kill the stress ball, just give it a little squeeze and keep doing it. Put it like this, when I went to the doctor yesterday morning I couldn't turn my palm up or down without feeling lots of pain. I worked my hand all day yesterday and all day today and I can at least type now without pain. In a couple of days, I'll be hitting the dunes again and trying to prove Newton wrong. Gravity, what's that?!? "Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory... lasts forever." Keanu Reeves, from The Replacements Well folks, that's what I've got. Let's hear your advice. Little_John :eek: [/QUOTE]

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