Should I wear the wrist guard?

[Iceskating]

Hi,

I'm so thankful I can ask my question here,
everytime I asked, I got more than I expected!

Recently my old wrist guards are broken,
I'm thinking to buy another pair,
but not sure which kind I should buy. Those with splints? Or those with padding?
Or even more, should I wear the wrist guard?

I know there are a lot of arguements about wearing protective gears or not,
but as an adult skater, I just want to survive on the ice!   
Usually I wear the wrist guards (those for inline skating, so they have splints on them.).
But I heard some people say that it's dangerous, because ice is slippery,
so when you fall, you may fall flat on the ground,
face down and hit your jaw if you wear the wrist guard with a splint.

The other people say that you may break your wrist if you only wear those padding protectors without the splint,
like this one:
http://www.shop.kinziescloset.com/Silipos-Palm-Protector-Carpal-Sleeve-SiliposGelSleeve.htm

So anyone has a good advice for me?
To wear, or not to wear?
And which kind of wrist guard you will recommend? Those for inline skating? Or the padding one like above?

Thank you all!

[riley876]

I wear "187 Killer" wrist guards, made for roller derby/aggressive inlining etc.  But I put a chunk of EVA foam in the space between the splint and the guard's fabric.   ( Inspired by reading this study:  www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3896110/  )

These did actually have two splints, the back one I've already tossed, but I think I could probably do without the front splint,  except I need it for a) something to hold the chunk of foam there, and b) for inlining, I really do want the splint as a friction reducer.  i.e. to mimic the slide one gets on ice.  Gravel rash or splinters on one's palm would involve a world of hurt.

I'd be happy wearing those "Silipos Palm Protectors" on ice,  assuming the gel pad was sufficiently chunky.

[nicklaszlo]

you may fall flat on the ground,
face down and hit your jaw if you wear the wrist guard with a splint.

Typically skating one falls backwards.  If you skate a lot, you will eventually hit your head.  It is hard to imagine how the splints will make that worse.  The ice is already very hard. 

I recommend wearing them.  I only wear them for inlines, but one should probably wear them all the time.

[tstop4me]

Yes!  Definitely wear wrist guards.  Many years ago, I slipped on an icy sidewalk and sprained my right wrist.  After that, when I fell on it while skating, I sprained it again.  As many others will attest to, once you’ve injured a joint, it becomes susceptible to re-injury.

For many years, I wore the bulky Rollerblade wrist guards with a pronounced V-shaped splint.  These are no longer made by Rollerblade; but other manufacturers, such as Triple 8, still make them (http://www.amazon.com/Triple-Saver-Wristsavers-Black-Medium/dp/B0000DZIJ6/ref=sr_1_1?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1453835854&sr=1-1&keywords=wrist+guard+triple+8).  When you fall forward, your hands do tend to slide along the V-shaped splint.

A year ago, I decided to work on a scratch spin.  When you fall during a spin, you can end up in a twisted position and fall forwards, backwards, sideways, or straight down.  I suited up with full protection, including new wrist guards.  I’m now wearing the Rollerblade Bladegear XT wrist guards (http://www.amazon.com/Rollerblade-Bladegear-Wristguard-Black-Medium/dp/B00BFPH0NE/ref=sr_1_2?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1453836096&sr=1-2&keywords=rollerblades+wrist+guards).    They do not have a pronounced V-shaped splint, but a more compact and conformal rigid palm and wrist plate on the front and a stiff, but more flexible rectangular plate on the back.  There is less tendency to slide.

There is thin foam padding front and back as well.  I wear thin leather dress gloves (lined with Thinsulate), and the wrist guards over the gloves.  The guards are not blister-packed, but come in a mesh bag with a drawstring closure.  So try to find a local shop that carries them and try them on.  This wrist guard is mainly black (with some silver grey trim) and is hardly noticeable over black gloves.  They are not as rugged as the old-style wrist guards, but plenty robust for ice skating.  I skate about 5 times/wk and have used the same pair of XT’s now for about 15 months.  I have fallen numerous times and they are holding up well.

There is a heavier duty model (http://www.amazon.com/Rollerblade-Plus-Wrist-Guard-Large/dp/B002USGP7C/ref=sr_1_3?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1453836525&sr=1-3&keywords=rollerblades+wrist+guards) that is mainly silver grey, with black and orange trim; but I have no direct experience with them. 

Without a rigid plate or splint, you run the risk of snapping back your hand and spraining or fracturing your wrist.  The only disadvantage of rigid guards is when my coach keeps telling me to pretend I’m pressing my palms into the ice to help with deeper edge control. The wrist guards limit how much I can press.  But that’s a minor disadvantage I’m willing to live with to protect my wrists.

[sampaguita]

I have the plastic ones used for roller -- never got to use them because (a) they were too bulky and (b) they are made of plastic so they will slip on ice. Better to get ones made with a fabric lining, I think...

[beginner skater]

I've been wearing wristguards for 3 months. I especially chose guards with an exposed plastic splint on the palms, to increase the likelihood of sliding across the ice as I am thinking that will dissipate some of the force of falling. I did try some wristguards with double splints, but the back splint stuck into my fore arm and was so uncomfortable I probably wouldnt have worn them.

Thanks for the link, riley876, following it up, there are a lot of other articles there, which almost all seem to support the use of wristguards for other sports. I can just about fit an off-cut of foam (fairly good quality cushion foam) into my wristguards if I have it over my wrists, across the joint, but not  on my palm. Do you think that's worth doing? It's open cell. I'm not sure where in the UK I could get EVA foam of the right thickness.Or should I stick together layers of craft foam, if I remember rightly, that's closed cell?  I could go up a size and stick a wodge over my palm too.

[riley876]

I'd be a bit wary of open cell foam.   The benefit of closed cell foam is that it contains lots of little air pockets that all compress and act like little springs.   Whereas an open cell foam has to rely solely on the material itself for it's springiness.

And yes craft foam is a fairly high density closed cell EVA foam, and would be very suitable.   Some camping bed roll foams are EVA too, but commonly, at least locally (NZ), it's nearly as dense.

[beginner skater]

Thanks Riley, may I call you Riley?  How many mm thickness of foam have you gone for? And is it on your palm, extending up to where the wrist guard ends? And do you think akton gel, which I already have in the house, would be as good?

[tstop4me]

I especially chose guards with an exposed plastic splint on the palms, to increase the likelihood of sliding across the ice as I am thinking that will dissipate some of the force of falling.

For sure, if you fall, it’s preferable to slide than to bang up your body.  However, you do not want an uncontrolled slide.  The OP is concerned about the instance in which you fall forward, stretch out your hands to stop the fall, but the wrist guards cause the hands to slide, and your arms stretch out flat such that you end up with a face plant.  Certainly a possibility with some wrist guards.  Also, you don’t want your whole body to slide uncontrollably such that you slide into other skaters.  That’s why full in-line skating gear (hard and smooth plastic wrist guards, elbow guards, and knee guards) is a bad idea for ice skating.  I tried that once, since I already had the in-line protective gear.  If you trip while skating forward on the ice, you go sliding like crazy.

As I mentioned above, my old Rollerblade wrist guard had a pronounced V-notch splint.  This is appropriate for ground surfaces (such as concrete as asphalt), because the splint keeps your palm and fingers clear of the ground.  Sliding is not a problem because of the high friction between the splint and the ground.  On the ice, it’s a different story.  There is little friction between the splint and the ice, and little contact between the ice and the palm and fingers because of the height of the V-notch.  With the XT wrist guards, the palm and wrist plate are relatively flat, so my fingers (covered with a leather glove) still contact the ice.  This gives enough friction to avoid uncontrolled sliding.

Note:  If you have plastic splints, you can intentionally increase the friction (when in contact with ice) by applying strips of Velcro tape.  Velcro tape has two halves, a rough half and a soft half, so you can pick the one you prefer.  I tried Velcro tape on the XT guards, but found I didn’t need it.  If you use Velcro tape, be aware that loose Velcro straps from other gear will snag against it; a minor annoyance.

[riley876]

Thanks Riley, may I call you Riley?  How many mm thickness of foam have you gone for? And is it on your palm, extending up to where the wrist guard ends? And do you think akton gel, which I already have in the house, would be as good?

Indeed that's my name.

My chunk of foam is 16mm (5/8"),  which is the maximum that would fit in the gap.   It's just stuffed in the gap between the splint and the part of the guard which covers the heel of the palm,  perhaps 40mm (1.5") square.   Pretty much like the pictures in that study.  The idea is that's the usual impact point, and the foam just "takes the edge off" any impact.

Akton gel is the same as sorbothane?  If so, the study I posted didn't show it provided any benefit over no foam at all.

[tstop4me]

I'd be a bit wary of open cell foam.   The benefit of closed cell foam is that it contains lots of little air pockets that all compress and act like little springs.   Whereas an open cell foam has to rely solely on the material itself for it's springiness.

And yes craft foam is a fairly high density closed cell EVA foam, and would be very suitable.   Some camping bed roll foams are EVA too, but commonly, at least locally (NZ), it's nearly as dense.

Actually one advantage of open cell foam is that it's springiness doesn't depend on trapped air pockets.  Therefore it tends to maintain its consistency over extended use.  With closed cell foam, the springiness changes more over extended use as the air pockets get popped.

[riley876]

Actually one advantage of open cell foam is that it's springiness doesn't depend on trapped air pockets.  Therefore it tends to maintain its consistency over extended use.  With closed cell foam, the springiness changes more over extended use as the air pockets get popped.

The trouble I found with open cell foam is finding any that's anywhere near stiff enough.   Closed cell foams get stiffness from both the structure AND the air pockets, so are naturally much stiffer.   What open cell foam do you suggest that might be stiff enough?

And besides for most uses, the impacts are occasional, and the foam is dirt cheap to replace.

Also open cell foams fill up with sweat.  Yuck.

[beginner skater]

Hmmm, getting a bit confused...

T4, I did follow your link, but amazon just shows the dorsal view of the triple 8, so not sure if the v shaped splint is the same as the U shaped splint that my wristguards have? I was thinking that if I slid on my wristguards, maybe my toepicks would bring me to a grinding halt? Maybe I'll stick the soft 1/2 of the velcro on my palm splints, that would solve the problem of picking up all the loose threads, dog hair etc. I suppose the idea that sliding wristguards result in faceplants means that someone has done it

Apologies, Riley, I followed so many of the links, had so many windows open, and am a sloppy scientific journal reader anyway, so I never got to the pictures.They make a lot of sense. I hadnt cotttoned on to akton possibly being sorbothane, they are both proprietary visco elastic polymers, how much does that mean their physical properties will be the same? Googling for a comparison brought up nothing. Sorbothane seem to specialise in insoles and a soft blow mallet, and is described as one of a kind http://www.sorbothane.com/sorbothane-insoles.aspx
So I dunno if they are the same. I have just emailed the akton manufacturer for advice.

Looking more closely at your original link,they used an air cell from a pneumatic arm band, and unhelpfully dont show a picture.  child's swimming aid?
So I'm wondering if bubblewrap might be a closer reproduction than closed cell foam... , which brings us back to that old chestnut that bubblewrap is as good as anything for padding.  My latest amazon parcel came with air cushions, they look like this http://wessexpkg.co.uk/rolls-for-air-cushion-machine/360-airspace.html  so too big to stuff in wristguards, but possibly good for stuffing down leggings. I'm never going to throw anything away again.

[riley876]

Bubble wrap is spectacularly useless.   I tested it as a possible candidate for helmet foam.  It failed badly.

My understanding is that visco-elastic gel (sorbothane, akton, D3O etc) is good for spreading load, i.e. great for hip pads to spread the load away from the bony protrusions onto the larger muscle area.   But they don't actually compress (much) under load, which means they don't reduce the overall peak forces.   And reducing peak forces logically seems like the key to avoiding breaking things.

I don't know what the air cell is they used, but I figured that closed cell foam is just a bunch of tiny air cells anyway...

[tstop4me]

The trouble I found with open cell foam is finding any that's anywhere near stiff enough.   Closed cell foams get stiffness from both the structure AND the air pockets, so are naturally much stiffer.   What open cell foam do you suggest that might be stiff enough?

And besides for most uses, the impacts are occasional, and the foam is dirt cheap to replace.

Also open cell foams fill up with sweat.  Yuck.

Bubble wrap is spectacularly useless.   I tested it as a possible candidate for helmet foam.  It failed badly.

My understanding is that visco-elastic gel (sorbothane, akton, D3O etc) is good for spreading load, i.e. great for hip pads to spread the load away from the bony protrusions onto the larger muscle area.   But they don't actually compress (much) under load, which means they don't reduce the overall peak forces.   And reducing peak forces logically seems like the key to avoiding breaking things.

I don't know what the air cell is they used, but I figured that closed cell foam is just a bunch of tiny air cells anyway...

Looks like the issue of the proper foam is still up for debate.  The study you cited (which the authors admit is not conclusive) recommends against stiff foams: 

"Especially, Sorbothane is a well-known viscoelastic polyurethane material used for industrial vibration isolation and sports injury protection under repetitive loading conditions. However, it was demonstrated from our study that its shock-absorbing capability under rapid impact conditions such as falling might not be sufficient due to its relatively larger stiffness than the soft tissues of the hand."  So even Sorbothane is too stiff in their opinion.

Looking more closely at your original link,they used an air cell from a pneumatic arm band, and unhelpfully dont show a picture.   child's swimming aid?

The air cell they used is not bubble wrap or air pillows used for packing material; and it is not closed-cell foam either.  It's a single bulk air cell (similar to an air pillow, but probably more robust and with a different geometry and air pressure) taken from a medical device used to treat elbow conditions.  The authors surmise that the effectiveness of the air cell is due to the highly nonlinear compressibility, substantially different from that of closed-cell foam.  However, more work is needed to optimize an air cell specifically designed for wrist guards.  I tracked down a photo of the air cell they used:

https://www.djoglobal.com/products/aircast/pneumatic-armband

[beginner skater]

I thought I better reply to the original poster, Iceskating. If you follow the link to the article in Riley's first reply, there are lots of studies about wristguards in other sports, the ones I looked at seemed to show injuries were less with wristguards, some studies less in frequency, others showed less in severity. None of the studies are for ice skating.

When I first started skating, I asked my most experienced coach (in his 40s, skated competitively from childhood to adulthood, succesfully, and coached competitive and LTS skaters full time since then, so I reckon he's seen a lot of skaters), if I should wear protection. He said no to pads, thinking that people came to rely on them, and couldnt skate without them. But he said to get wristguards. So I reckon, given that he's anti protection in general, he must have seen a lot of skaters badly damage their wrists.(I am now fairly well padded up, certainly more padded than any skater I know off the internet.) Also, see this article on in-line skating   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8929359/

So I think you probably should wear wristguards. 

Splints or not? To me the argument that a splint could result in a fracture further up your arm which will heal more quickly than a fracture close to your wrist makes sense. No splints seems to me to be nothing more  than a protective glove. A newer, designed by a surgeon splint for snow boarding, the Flexmeter, has 2 splints and reaches around 2/3 of the way up the fore-arm. It's more expensive, and for me looks too bulky for me to want to wear it.Riley has gone with one splint, and extra padding, and would consider no splints. I dont know if anyone can find articles on wristguards with or without splints?


And going by Riley's article, padding with an aircell could be good. If you are going to be falling with a force of 500 Newtons onto your hand. Which isnt very much, presumably because they didnt want to injure their live subjects.  Thanks t4 for the additional information on the aircell. I am wondering how they would stand up to a greater force, presumably if it bursts, you might well be better off with foam? I did try to buy some craft foam today, but the shop I went to has stopped selling it. Riley, is craft foam all more or less the same, so I could buy unseen off the internet? I might try getting hold of one of the aircast arm bands, since I sometimes have a touch of tennis elbow but it's been quiescent for a year or 2. And since some amazon reviews complain of them deflating with usual use, maybe they wouldnt stand up to a hard fall.

Looking at my own wristguards, I dont have the handy pocket to stuff padding in, the splint is just bent back. Stuffing open cell foam into the palm of one , and banging my hands onto a tiled floor showed no difference in the maximum force or discomfort. So maybe I need to experiment with craft foam. Riley have you tried comparing perceived discomfort with and without craft foam?

[beginner skater]

PS Just found this article on injuries in ice skaters,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2903161/ The study was for injuries at a temporary ice rink. For those who dont want to read it, here is what I thought were the important bits:

Of these injuries 58% were fractures, of which 98% involved the upper limbs. Seven patients (8% of all injuries) required admission for operative fixation.

The most common injury in our study was to the wrist/distal forearm. Cadaveric biomechanical studies [11, 12] have shown a significant reduction in forces transmitted through the forearm bones when wrist protectors are worn. A perceived risk of wearing wrist protectors is an increase in fractures more proximally due to the transmission of forces to the edge of the protector. These biomechanical studies have shown no evidence of increased bone strain at the proximal end of the protectors. Clinical studies in snowboarders [13, 14] and in-line skaters [15] have shown a significant reduction in wrist and forearm injuries both in those wearing wrist protectors and in more experienced participants. Again, there was no increased incidence of more proximal forearm fractures. We would therefore recommend the use of wrist protectors as a relatively simple method to reduce the number of these injuries in future years. Skaters should be educated as to how best to break their falls, and wrist protectors should be freely available at the ice rink.

[tstop4me]

Splints or not? To me the argument that a splint could result in a fracture further up your arm which will heal more quickly than a fracture close to your wrist makes sense. No splints seems to me to be nothing more  than a protective glove. A newer, designed by a surgeon splint for snow boarding, the Flexmeter, has 2 splints and reaches around 2/3 of the way up the fore-arm. It's more expensive, and for me looks too bulky for me to want to wear it.Riley has gone with one splint, and extra padding, and would consider no splints. I dont know if anyone can find articles on wristguards with or without splints?

In the article that riley cited, the dorsal splint (along the back side of the hand) was always kept in place.  But there is data comparing results with and without the volar splint (along the palm side of the hand) installed.

[beginner skater]

In the article that riley cited, the dorsal splint (along the back side of the hand) was always kept in place.  But there is data comparing results with and without the volar splint (along the palm side of the hand) installed.

You're right, but I should have been more explicit, is there evidence that having 1 or 2 splints decreases the fracture rate? I am thinking retrospective or cadaver studies, where higher forces are involved. I guess 1 splint is going to be better than 0 splint, but is 2 splints more protective than 1?

[dlbritton]

I'll throw in my 2 cents worth to the original question. I wear "roller blade" type wrist guards with splints top and bottom. I have fallen a few times and don't think the plastic in the palm region caused any excess sliding. Most of my falls were more of the Superman impersonation type and didn't result in much shock to the hands so the guards probably weren't necessary. I have had a few straight down falls that the guards probably did prevent some injury.

I also wear McDavid hex cell elbow pads (for the flexability), padded volleyball knee pads and a Crasche.

I tried on some snowboard focused wrist guards at the ski resort, but they are made like fingerless gloves with splints top and bottom. They are made to fit under ski/snowboard gloves but won't fit over thin gloves and I don't see skating in my ski gloves. Several of the snowboard instructors wear them but under their regular gloves.

Sometimes I feel a bit over padded but I know the knee pads have saved my knees a few times. It is hard to say if the wrist guards or elbow pads prevented any injuries, but they are fairly unobtrusive so I wear them. I am especially leery of injuring my wrists because I am: A) a computer programmer and have to be able to type and mouse and B) a ski instructor which I couldn't do with a broken wrist.   

After my concussion I certainly don't go on the ice without my Crasche. Just like I don't go on the slopes without a helmet. However, when I snowboard I don't wear wristguards partially because the ones I have won't fit under my ski gloves and correctly or not I don't percieve falling on the snow as being as dangerous as falling on ice.

I have hard shell inline skate elbow pads and knee pads but never considered trying to skate in them. I'd feel like I was ready to play hockey in that setup. I had never considered the slide factor with them.

[lutefisk]

I've had good luck with flexmeter wrist guards:  http://www.snowboardsecrets.com/flexmeter_all_season_order_page.htm

These are a bit spendy but then so is a busted wrist.

[LunarSkater]

How stiff do the guards keep your wrists? What degree of flexibility do you have with them? Do they keep your wrists straight or is there a slight bend in them? And if so, what type of bend?

I have carpal tunnel in both wrists, so I'm leery about these things unless I know more about how they fit. Because protection is a wonderful thing, but if it aggravates an injury I already have there's little chance of me wearing it no matter the risks.

[Query]

Typically skating one falls backwards.

On figure skates, I've seen a lot more forward falls, especially among beginners, due to tripping over toepicks.

Toepicks are evil!    If someone would invent skate blades on which they are only present during the few milliseconds that they are needed, they would be doing us all a great favor!

I think that if you feel that wrist guards will protect you, because you have an unfortunately tendency to throw your hands and arms stiffly straight forward of your body (like Frankenstein's monster ), when you start to fall forwards, then wrist guards may help. Get the ones you please - but understand that they have their limits.

In fact, dressing in full hockey gear could prevent a great many skating injuries.  Alas, , your typical ice lord or ice princess doesn't want to look like a hockey player when they skate.

I personally believe that practicing to fall gently is a better solution in the end - see my website - but I see nothing wrong with using safety equipment until you are confident that you can fall without injury without using the equipment.

[lutefisk]

How stiff do the guards keep your wrists? What degree of flexibility do you have with them? Do they keep your wrists straight or is there a slight bend in them? And if so, what type of bend?

I have carpal tunnel in both wrists, so I'm leery about these things unless I know more about how they fit. Because protection is a wonderful thing, but if it aggravates an injury I already have there's little chance of me wearing it no matter the risks.

I barely notice my flexmeters.  I bought them after a fall left me with a broken radius.  I have the model with splints in both the upper and lower sides of the guard.  The ones I have additionally have palm "puck" shaped gizmos that allow one to slide on the ice rather than come to an abrupt halt and so dissipate some of the energy of the fall.  The upper side of the guards allows for flexion and some extension but prevent hyper extension. The only down sides are 1. they make jotting down things in my notebook which my coach tells me a little difficult (hand writing looks like I'm back in second grade), and 2. I can only wear very thin gloves under the guards, which is fine for me when the rink is cold but might not be enough for someone prone to having cold fingers.  I've "tested" my guards several times in forward falls.  They work great.

[beginner skater]

How stiff do the guards keep your wrists? What degree of flexibility do you have with them? Do they keep your wrists straight or is there a slight bend in them? And if so, what type of bend?

My wristguards keep my wrist in a comfortable neutral position, so the back of my hand slopes slightly back. I can bend my hand in them about 45 degrees forward off a straight line along the back of my forearm, so my wrists are bending more than 45 degrees from neutral. It is limited by the end of the front splint which sticks into my forearm if I bend further. They only have front splints. I chose them by trying on someone else's at the rink, which helped with sizing, too. Then I bought them on line. I dont notice them when I am skating.

 I did first buy a pair with 2 splints, but the bottom edge of the back splint stuck into my fore arm and was uncomfortable. It just seemed angled wrong for my arm. I sold them to someone else at the rink, who I had persuaded needed wrist guards    But he is a pianist, so does probably need them! Getting the right size isnt easy, they tend to be sized for men. Try some on first if you can. And decide if you want to wear gloves underneath them - I dont, but the rinksI go to arent that cold. Ordinary wristguards are made often from neoprene, which is flexible and warm.