# Wrist guards? After bad break



## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

Traction is the worst! I'm sorry you went through that. I'm glad all that pain hasn't turned you off from shredding. Snowboarding usually doesn't hurt that bad. I know Burton makes some pretty low profile wrist guards.

I think learning how to fall properly should be the first thing taught at lessons. It's important to tuck your arms in and not try to stick them out to catch yourself. That said, falls happen suddenly and you don't always have full control over your form as you go down.


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## Manicmouse (Apr 7, 2014)

These wrist guards from Dakine are good under mitts. Might not save your thumb though!


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## lab49232 (Sep 13, 2011)

Ya for your fall wrist guards aren't gonna do anything. You gotta learn to fall without exteding an open palm to catch yourself. For people who really cant stop you can try holding a ball in your hand inside your mitt while riding. This can help you stay focused on not opening your hand and falling with a closed fist.


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## LouiseTriesToBoard? (Feb 9, 2020)

lab49232 said:


> Ya for your fall wrist guards aren't gonna do anything. You gotta learn to fall without exteding an open palm to catch yourself. For people who really cant stop you can try holding a ball in your hand inside your mitt while riding. This can help you stay focused on not opening your hand and falling with a closed fist.


Ah yes this is what I do......however my thumb is held separately inside my mitt and I didn’t ball it up quickly enough and caught my thumb. Bit of bad luck really.
I have heard people say wrist guards don’t do anything.....however since I broke my wrists whilst not wearing them I think I would at least try them if not just to add a bit more protection to this duff wrist [emoji2372]


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## coloradodirtbag (Feb 9, 2017)

I shattered my wrist 3 weeks ago at peace park. Had to have a plate and screws put in, doc says 12 week full recovery, but I'll be tempted to ride in March. Whats your recovery timetable, and anybody have tips for riding with a broken wrist? @Argo


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## LouiseTriesToBoard? (Feb 9, 2020)

coloradodirtbag said:


> I shattered my wrist 3 weeks ago at peace park. Had to have a plate and screws put in, doc says 12 week full recovery, but I'll be tempted to ride in March. Whats your recovery timetable, and anybody have tips for riding with a broken wrist? @Argo


I found out yesterday I don’t need surgery and a plate PHEW!! The traction put my bones in a good position and they are super happy with it in a cast - surprising to me considering there was a wedge of bone hanging off [emoji85]
Anyway, all being well it’s another 5 weeks in a cast for me.....but I will probably give it 3 months before I ride again and will be adding wrist guards to my arsenal [emoji23]

It was funny when I did it at the SnowDome.....snapped my wrist, unclipped and bossed it down the slope to my instructor who said he didn’t believe me because I wasn’t crying......then I showed him the massive lump on my arm where my bone was out of place [emoji15][emoji23]
I’ve given birth.......I guess breaking my wrist was bearable [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
Wouldn’t want to do it again though!!!


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## Myoko (Dec 11, 2018)

The reality is a helmet and wrist guards are 2 things you shouldn't board without, especially if you're learning. I don't care how good you think you are, at some point you will wish you had a helmet at least, even if you are good at falling like a lot of skateboarders are. So, having said that, if you want decent wrist guards last time I looked you had only 2 options, and neither are worn under gloves.
Docmeter FlexMeter and Level are purpose built. Both have different approaches and both have them built into the gloves. Both are bulkier than your mittens but both will actually make a difference in regards to a broken wrist from my experience. I'm the only one in my family who wears them, I'm also the only one without a broken wrist even though I need them maybe once in 100 days riding. I choose to keep my wrists ok for surfing at the expense of not looking as cool but it's a individual decision.


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## LouiseTriesToBoard? (Feb 9, 2020)

Great advise thanks. I have seen some other wrist guards that aren’t built into gloves but look like they may be worthy of being called a wrist guard.
Demon Flexmeter
Demon Flexmeter Double Snowboard/Ski Wrist Guards S Black

Not cheap as wrist guards go but I’m happy to pay. What do you think?


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## Myoko (Dec 11, 2018)

Yes, same company...looks like it's now called just Flexmeter. Personally I think they are better than Level but bulkier. Researched the hell out of them at the time as I was going to import them into Australia. Excellent option.


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## LouiseTriesToBoard? (Feb 9, 2020)

Myoko said:


> Yes, same company...looks like it's now called just Flexmeter. Personally I think they are better than Level but bulkier. Researched the hell out of them at the time as I was going to import them into Australia. Excellent option.


Great thanks [emoji4] will go for it when I get paid....may have to buy some larger mitts too [emoji1303]


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## coloradodirtbag (Feb 9, 2017)

Wrist guards are a debatable topic. The argument is if you’re wearing wrist guards the break will transfer further up the arm/shoulder causing bigger issues.

I’ll be focusing more effort on learning to fall. Learn to tuck and roll or fall on your forearms.


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## Myoko (Dec 11, 2018)

"Wrist guards are a debatable topic. The argument is if you’re wearing wrist guards the break will transfer further up the arm/shoulder causing bigger issues."

A. You would be substantially better off with a break further up the arm 
B. That old argument has been clinically proven to be rubbish by a number of studies, yet it persists.
C. Learning to fall is a big part of the way to reduce all types of injuries I agree.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

I've only ever broken a wrist while snowboarding while I was wearing wrist guards. They protect the soft tissues of the wrist by forcing a break in the bone. From a biking accident, I've got two plates in my left wrist. My doctor told me not to break that wrist again, but also not to use wrist guards lol. He said it would explode with all that hardware in it, and that guards would focus pressure on the hardware. I personally would not wear wrist guards if you're worried about breaking bones. Just learn how to fall better. And yes, this advise is coming from a lifelong skateboarder. Falling technique is important.


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## LouiseTriesToBoard? (Feb 9, 2020)

Yeah I had mixed advice tbh....might chat to my consultant! 
The reason I hadn’t worn wrist guards so far is because I was told it forces a break further up - If it’s gonna break it’s will break somewhere [emoji2372]

I dunno! I’m probably damned if I do and damned if I don’t [emoji23]


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## MountainMystic (Apr 24, 2019)

Myoko said:


> "Wrist guards are a debatable topic. The argument is if you’re wearing wrist guards the break will transfer further up the arm/shoulder causing bigger issues."
> 
> A. You would be substantially better off with a break further up the arm
> B. That old argument has been clinically proven to be rubbish by a number of studies, yet it persists.
> C. Learning to fall is a big part of the way to reduce all types of injuries I agree.


Do you have links to the studies? would be interested in reading them.
I have Level super-pipe gloves. burly, armoured feel to them, haven't fallen hard with them, so can't comment on effectiveness


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## Myoko (Dec 11, 2018)

Do Wrist Guards Prevent Snowboarding Injuries? | Biomechanics in the Wild







sites.nd.edu












Snowboard wrist guards--use, efficacy, and design. A systematic review - PubMed


The popularity of snowboarding has brought awareness to injuries sustained during the sport. Wrist injuries are among the most common injuries, and there is an interest in using protective equipment to prevent these injuries. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on wrist guard...




www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov




There are others, and this one is self proclaimed, but I have read something years ago by the designer/owner at the time who I think was a French traumatic surgeon who constantly saw these things...i believe...anyway, more than enough evidence regardless.
"Scientific Study on the Flexmeter Single Sided Wrist Protection/Guard:
Scientific studies have shown the effectiveness of the Flexmeter in reducing the risk of injuries. Wrist fractures have diminished by 67% in a group of athletes wearing the Flexmeter wrist guards, compared to a group wearing no protection." This does not surprise me in the least although I didn't wear double sided.

If you are a boss skater, you probably have already stuffed up your wrist learning to fall and no longer need them


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## Radialhead (Jan 3, 2018)

coloradodirtbag said:


> Wrist guards are a debatable topic. The argument is if you’re wearing wrist guards the break will transfer further up the arm/shoulder causing bigger issues.
> 
> I’ll be focusing more effort on learning to fall. Learn to tuck and roll or fall on your forearms.


Both of those points are regularly churned out, & they make me cringe. Wrists are easy to break, & being a complex joint can result in years of pain & motion restriction. If preventing your wrist bending past the point where it would break means you break your forearm instead, so be it; they're much easier to deal with, & that amount of force would probably cause a particularly nasty wrist fracture.

As for the tuck & roll - fine when you're moving down the hill, but completely impossible when you're going slow & catch the heel edge, slamming over backwards, like all beginners do. That's the real danger for wrists.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

I've had to have a wrist reconstructed, and it was terrible. At the time I was a professional drummer, and it took a full year of PT to get full mobility back- that's a significant amount of pain everyday for a year. Anything one can do to avoid that is important. I'm personally not convinced that wrist guards do much besides convert a strain into a forearm fracture, but fractures are probably easier to deal with in the long run anyway. Unfortunately, I've got too much hardware in my forearm to play that game anymore. Also, I broke a wrist my first time on a snowboard when I was wearing wrist guards and was too young to know how to fall properly yet. Would that fall have destroyed my wrist joint? Who knows- maybe. If wearing wrist guards makes you feel better, you should do it. 

I've been considering wearing body armor in the trees so I don't get skewered. Whatever makes you feel safer is usually a good thing, unless it makes you reckless. I wouldn't ride without a helmet. Wrist guards are cool too. Might as well throw on some padded shorts (I broke my tailbone at Vail) or some knee pads. I just bashed my kneecap so hard on a boulder the other day.


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## MountainMystic (Apr 24, 2019)

WigMar said:


> I've had to have a wrist reconstructed, and it was terrible. At the time I was a professional drummer, and it took a full year of PT to get full mobility back- that's a significant amount of pain everyday for a year. Anything one can do to avoid that is important. I'm personally not convinced that wrist guards do much besides convert a strain into a forearm fracture, but fractures are probably easier to deal with in the long run anyway. Unfortunately, I've got too much hardware in my forearm to play that game anymore. Also, I broke a wrist my first time on a snowboard when I was wearing wrist guards and was too young to know how to fall properly yet. Would that fall have destroyed my wrist joint? Who knows- maybe. If wearing wrist guards makes you feel better, you should do it.
> 
> I've been considering wearing body armor in the trees so I don't get skewered. Whatever makes you feel safer is usually a good thing, unless it makes you reckless. I wouldn't ride without a helmet. Wrist guards are cool too. Might as well throw on some padded shorts (I broke my tailbone at Vail) or some knee pads. I just bashed my kneecap so hard on a boulder the other day.


re body armour, its going to be somewhat of a trade-off between protection and mobility. Knee & elbow pads, Helmet and padded shorts are my default, plus an Evoc day pack with a back protector. The padded shorts I like are Dainese Hard shorts E1. great hip, thigh and coccyx protection. They are a mesh construction for great ventilation. I got them for mountain biking. 
A t-shirt style protector with chest and shoulder armour would be a great addition, if I can find something that is protective enough while still being able to move.
YMMV with all of this, but I've taken a few hard hits, and IMO, padding can be a great help.


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## LouiseTriesToBoard? (Feb 9, 2020)

Radialhead said:


> As for the tuck & roll - fine when you're moving down the hill, but completely impossible when you're going slow & catch the heel edge, slamming over backwards, like all beginners do. That's the real danger for wrists.


Exactly what happened!! A week in Austria and as a beginner I pushed myself quite hard out of my comfort zone and fell A LOT at speed....without any injury.
Back home on the SnowDome slope and a catch an edge at the bottom and BAM snapped my wrist! 
Bad times 


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## Seppuccu (Dec 4, 2012)

A little late to the party here, but anyways...

I have two sets of wrist guards: RED wrist guards (now Burton), and Dainese Hector wrist guards. Both are of the kind that have the protection on the back of the arm rather than the front. The protection lexer, which means it will dampen the overextension of your wrist to an extent - if you fall really hard you will probably just break your arm/wrist, er, less. They are both fairly low profile, but I use gloves +1 size and in some cases it's still tight.

The REDs/Burtons have the additional benefit of bing padded over the palm, while the Daineses have the advantage of making you look a bit like cyborg.  No but seriously, they're head turners.

At the end of the day, the most important part is still learning how to fall properly. Oh, and keeping an eye up-hill to avoid getting smashed by an ass-clown skier out of control.

My full set of protective gear, in addition to the wrist guards:

K2 Phase Pro helmet
Pro-Tec spine protector
G-Form elbow guards (low profile)
RED Total Impact short
SOC knee pads (soft)

I _always_ wear _all_ of these (no, not both sets of wrist guards at the same time). I am quite certain that I wouldn't be sitting here today if not for these (especially the helmet and the spine protector).


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## LouiseTriesToBoard? (Feb 9, 2020)

Seppuccu said:


> A little late to the party here, but anyways...
> 
> I have two sets of wrist guards: RED wrist guards (now Burton), and Dainese Hector wrist guards. Both are of the kind that have the protection on the back of the arm rather than the front. The protection lexer, which means it will dampen the overextension of your wrist to an extent - if you fall really hard you will probably just break your arm/wrist, er, less. They are both fairly low profile, but I use gloves +1 size and in some cases it's still tight.
> 
> ...


Great advise thanks  
Spine protector is one for the list!


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## Tavaruapt (Jan 15, 2020)

Hi Louise


LouiseTriesToBoard? said:


> Great advise thanks
> Spine protector is one for the list!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hi Louise, I understand you so well. First week of January I went snowboarding with my brother-in-law for 1 week. I never had put my foot on a slope much less on a board. I thought I would be spending all the time falling down and not able to follow my him. To my surprise on the first day after just 3 hours class I got the hand of it and before I know it I was going down the slopes fairly easy, by second day I was already going down advance slopes, I got addicted straight away.

Unfortunately on our last day disaster strike, on a very icy slope my board catch the back and send my flying and on hitting the snow/ice hurt my wrist bad. Next day went to ER and after x-ray distal radius fracture. Even though I was in some pain all I could think was getting back on the slopes. My friends say I'm crazy but I already booked a long weekend and will go back just 10 days after taking the cast.

Like you I'm a little nervous getting back after the injury, I'm not a young guy anymore so I don't want to get injured again.

To protect myself and have a bit more confidence I got myself the following protective equipment:

Giro Ledge Mips helmet
Impact shorts
Level Half Pipe gloves.

This gloves have a biometric protection. A lot of people swear by it so I will have a try.

Manly, the ideal and I know I learned the hard way is knowing how to fall and tucking your arms on your chest and take the impact on your knees and butt.

Hope you get back on the board again and all goes well.


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## LouiseTriesToBoard? (Feb 9, 2020)

Tavaruapt said:


> Hi Louise
> 
> Hi Louise, I understand you so well. First week of January I went snowboarding with my brother-in-law for 1 week. I never had put my foot on a slope much less on a board. I thought I would be spending all the time falling down and not able to follow my him. To my surprise on the first day after just 3 hours class I got the hand of it and before I know it I was going down the slopes fairly easy, by second day I was already going down advance slopes, I got addicted straight away.
> 
> ...


I will be back on that board as soon as I can!!! I was back in fracture clinic today and they think I may have snapped a tendon in my thumb from bending it back which would need surgery!
Back next week to check it again after they have modified my cast to allow for more thumb movement.
Fingers crossed it’s not the tendon!

Good luck with your wrist and with the boarding 


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

Oh no! My fingers are crossed for you. Not the tendon!


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## LouiseTriesToBoard? (Feb 9, 2020)

Cast off in 2 weeks WOOOHOOOOOO!!!! 


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

The real answer....only ride deep powder...it creates another set of problems. But generally avoids broken wrists. Oh and yea you have to also learn other techniques of how to fall...nor not fall.


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## Tavaruapt (Jan 15, 2020)

wrathfuldeity said:


> The real answer....only ride deep powder...it creates another set of problems. But generally avoids broken wrists. Oh and yea you have to also learn other techniques of how to fall...nor not fall.


That would be ideal but as you know in Europe there is much less powder than in North America and this year for example it was a very bad year, only some few resorts in the Alps. Agree with learning how not to fall instead of not fall. If you are learning and want to keep improving and pushing yourself it is granted you will fall. Net week I will test my theory but I think I learned the hard way because I have the impression my brain will not allow me to catch my fall with the arms so easily as the pain is still very much burn in my mind.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Tavaruapt said:


> That would be ideal but as you know in Europe there is much less powder than in North America and this year for example it was a very bad year, only some few resorts in the Alps. Agree with learning how not to fall instead of not fall. If you are learning and want to keep improving and pushing yourself it is granted you will fall. Net week I will test my theory but I think I learned the hard way because I have the impression my brain will not allow me to catch my fall with the arms so easily as the pain is still very much burn in my mind.


Look in the coaching and tips section of "learn how to fall"


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## LouiseTriesToBoard? (Feb 9, 2020)

wrathfuldeity said:


> The real answer....only ride deep powder...it creates another set of problems. But generally avoids broken wrists. Oh and yea you have to also learn other techniques of how to fall...nor not fall.


Funny cos on the mountain I naturally just head for any powder and then go for it because I know it hurts less! I’m know for being a bit reckless but it’s because I want to improve 
The SnoDome I broke my wrist at in the U.K. is basically ice with a thin layer of slush 

The kiss emoji was a mistake but it’s funny so I’m leaving it 


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## Tavaruapt (Jan 15, 2020)

LouiseTriesToBoard? said:


> Funny cos on the mountain I naturally just head for any powder and then go for it because I know it hurts less! I’m know for being a bit reckless but it’s because I want to improve
> The SnoDome I broke my wrist at in the U.K. is basically ice with a thin layer of slush
> 
> The kiss emoji was a mistake but it’s funny so I’m leaving it
> ...


If it has a bit of slush still cushions the fall a little. When I broke my wrist there was only a small layer of sleet or ice cristal's and huge ice slab underneath. Anyway we fall we learn, it just sucks because we end up sideline for a while.


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