Wrist guards or not & have you injured your wrist skating?

[cbskater]

I have been thinking since I started working on a lot more jumping over the last couple of months that I need some type of wrist protection. I could not find anything for adults in the local stores & I am overwhelmed by the choices online. A good friend fell & broke her wrist 2 weeks ago while wearing protective pads on her palm/wrist, no hard parts in the pad. I wonder if a hard guard would have prevented the injury.

What type of wrist guard do you wear if any and have you been injured while wearing them? Have you taken a hard fall while wearing wrist guards & feel that they prevented an injury? I would love some guidance in what is the best type for injury prevention in figure skating.

[kiwiskater]

Look around the older posts here, there should be plenty of information. Personally I used Flexmeter guards (snowboardsecrets.com or Alpsgear.co.uk) and keep both splints on (you can remove one side), that was post injury and have fallen many a time, sadly plenty on the same hand but I haven't repeated anywhere near the severity of the original injury, just a few mild strains - a guard doesn't protect you 100%

[lutefisk]

After breaking my right radius I too bought a pair of flexmeter wrist guards from Snow Board secrets.  They are bulky but I've fallen several times since returning to the ice and can report no additional injuries.  The only time I don't wear them is when skating with my ice dance partner.  They are too bulky for ice dance holds.

[accordion]

I also use wrist guards, mine are hard on the underneath side only. They cover my palm to mid forearms. The hard bit is slippery and means that when I tumble I slide rather than stop suddenly. Any injuries are minimised but not always eliminated.

I bought them because I'm a musician and am fond of my hands. They are most often used by skateboarders and inline skaters.

[dlbritton]

Roller Blade brand makes a good wrist guard with plates on the back and front. I use them for inline skating.
I have a pair of off brand wrist guards with plates in the back and front that I use for ice skating (keeps me from moving gear between bags).

I don't take very many falls now, but wearing the guards lets me relax more and concentrate on my skating.   

I took several falls that were the sliding type and probably would have not injured myself without the guards, but I have had one hard fall that would have resulted in some major bruising at the least without the guards.

[tazsk8s]

Took an awkward fall on the 8 step mohawk a few years ago, broke my right wrist. No wrist protection at the time.

I definitely had a fear factor when I got back on the ice after the wrist healed. I too had the Flexmeter wristguards and that helped my confidence a lot. I took a few falls early on, directly on the newly healed wrist, and didn't even feel it. The top splint seems to help absorb the impact better than the ones with only the hard part on the bottom (IMO). I started out wearing them on both hands just on general principles, stopped wearing the left one fairly quickly, and was weaning myself off the right one when it vanished from the rink one day, along with a decent pair of warmup pants.    Haven't bothered with the expense of replacing it, and probably won't until/unless I work up the nerve to try the 8 step again someday.

[Christy]

I've never used wrist guards ice skating, but have used guards for roller blading, and when I fell I badly sprained my thumb - not sure if the injury would have been worse without them.

[slcbelle]

I wear wrist guards every time I skate with the exception of tests and competitions.  I've had the RED Impact wrist guards for 2 years and they are still going strong.  They are slim enough to fit under my liner gloves.  http://www.shorelineoftahoe.com/store/product.php?productid=6845&preselect=36079_36080_

[AgnesNitt]

What type of wrist guard do you wear if any and have you been injured while wearing them? Have you taken a hard fall while wearing wrist guards & feel that they prevented an injury? I would love some guidance in what is the best type for injury prevention in figure skating.

Shameless self promotion here. A post from my blog:
http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2011/11/wrist-guards.html

[cbskater]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I have read them all with great interest, including your blog AgnesNitt. I have looked online at the guards you recommended. Those Flexmeter ones sound great but I am worried about the bulkiness of them. I know if they bug me I won't want to wear them even though I should. I had a pair of volleyball style kneepads that I wouldn't wear but now that I have the gel knee pads I wear them every time I skate except for in competitions.

I definitely had a fear factor when I got back on the ice after the wrist healed. I too had the Flexmeter wristguards and that helped my confidence a lot. I took a few falls early on, directly on the newly healed wrist, and didn't even feel it.

That is impressive Tazsk8s & it sounds like those are exactly what my friend needs to get. We had already signed up for camp in Lake Placid in June & she is determined to still go.

[HeidiIce]

I bought the skateboarding wrist guards and hope for the best.  Still have to wear my splint from breaking my left radius.
Went rollerblading for the first time today to get over the fear factor.  I broke my left wrist while not paying enough attention to my left three turn.
Any tips on how to wear gloves, over or under the guards?

[dlbritton]

I wear very thin gloves under my wrist guards. The guards provide a bit of warmth so the thin gloves are sufficient.

[accordion]

I also wear gloves underneath the guards. Mine are adjustable so not a problems.