What's your advice?

**Permalost** · Posted On: 1/04/2013 5:40pm

Striking arts will put stress on your wrists (from impact) and lower back (from moving and twisting violently). So will grappling arts. Weapon arts properly trained will mean hits to the hands/wrists and possible difficulty swinging the weapon with severe tendonitis.

However, I'd say most of us use our hands in some capacity for work, yet also train in martial arts where the potential for occupation-hindering injury is possible. Even office drones need hands to type. And I could get a finger or wrist badly hurt in stickfighting training that would make my job more difficult. Or I could be paralyzed in a car accident on the way to training, which would surely affect my job. But if desire is great enough, risks are taken; I don't want to have fear of a possibility dictate too much of my life, so I train smart and remain mindful. This little rant is more about already healthy people who are hesitant to train, though; having these 2 pre-existing conditions I totally understand wanting to not aggravate it through normal practice.

I take it target shooting would be bad for your wrist too?

**Diesel_tke** · Posted On: 1/04/2013 5:50pm

One of the guys I stick fight with has half of his back fused, foot drop on one foot, and numbness in his hands. All resulting from a helocopter crash. He actually uses the stickfighting as therapy. But any bad takedown could permanently paralize him, potentially. You only live once.

**Mr. Machette** · Posted On: 1/04/2013 6:25pm

Originally Posted by erezb

I am afraid Aikido is your best friend. Just don't expect to become a lethal weapon.

I gotta caqll bullshit on this.

Aikido is NOT easy on your back or wrists. For all the flowing gentle attitude you are being thrown and throwing people, usually with the wrist as a fulcrum. Most of the fricking style revolves around wrist lock techniques that would be less than pleasant for someone suffering from inflamed joints.

The warmups aren't exactly a shiatsu massage either.

Just because the techniques are low percentage doesn't mean it isn't a physical activity and a tough workout.

I wonder why you even sugest something as punishing on the wrists and back to a person with cronic pain in those areas. Are you trying to get OP hurt even worse?

**ermghoti** · Posted On: 1/04/2013 7:34pm

Originally Posted by Permalost

I take it target shooting would be bad for your wrist too?

Rifle or shotgun wouldn't involve the wrists at all, and handgun recoil should be absorbed at the elbows and shoulders, the wrists shouldn't be torqued at all. Limp-wristing will actually induce a feed or ejection failure on many semi-auto handguns.

**Mr. Machette** · Posted On: 1/04/2013 7:56pm

Originally Posted by Permalost

I take it target shooting would be bad for your wrist too?

Not necesarily. It depends on the caliber and platform.

A lot of competitive shooting is done with .22lr or similar low recoil chambering. Those ones probaby wouldn't beat the OP down to hard.

**karma2343** · Posted On: 1/05/2013 12:00am

You mentioned having a bad back as well, so this advice is not to be taken at face value. Just some perspective from a guy who trains with messed up wrists. Don't take this advice until you have gotten your back problems squared away.

I have carpal tunnel and also need to take it easy on my wrists. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you is that a little modification actually re-opens up a lot of exercises. For instance, pushups aren't a good idea for me to do, but knuckle pushups are fine because its not bending the wrist while adding pressure.

I would recommend boxing most based on the criteria you provided. While getting good takes just as much dedication as any other art, the list of moves you need to learn is much shorter than most other arts. You can also get better by shadowboxing, practicing footwork, etc in your spare time. Just be sure to remember solo practice is only a part a training and can never make you good by itself.

If you focus more on technique than strength/speed, stretch often, and make sure to use wraps, your wrists will be fine. In fact, training probably helped my wrists. Just be sure to take it easy, especially on the bag work. The focus mitts you can go a little harder on, just be sure to have form down and be careful because its very easy to tweak a wrist with improper punching technique.

Again, get your back thing squared away before you even thinking of following this advice. Regardless of what happens, good luck!

**aznraven** · Posted On: 1/05/2013 9:44am

With those problems, I'd suggest exercise rather than a martial art.

If you are heavily dependent on your fingers for your livelihood as a musician, and you got bad wrists, Grappling with resistance would be out of the question, so no Judo or BJJ. Striking anything hard with your hands might be bad for your wrists too.

If you were to take one up, I'd suggest Taekwondo or Aikido, but exercise would do you so much more good.