Gear Review: WristWidget
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MSRP: $29
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Effective, convenient and …. velcro? The WristWidget is a simple yet practical for TFCC tears.
I’ve had wrist pain since I was 14. Push-ups have been excruciating and I’ve had to avoid slopers like the plague. But after a year of using the WristWidget on both wrists, my ailments have (mostly) disappeared.
I suspected I had a TFCC tear when I googled my symptoms. Years later, after I got an MRI for an unrelated hand problem, my suspicions were confirmed.
Before the WristWidget, there was tape and a large, clunky wrist brace. Combined, those two solutions kind of did the trick. But tape can be expensive and a basic brace is cumbersome. Plus, I never really healed; those two solutions were more akin to taking ibuprofen than actually healing my wrists.
After fishing out another $20 on tape, I saw the fiscal benefit of the $29 WristWidget investment. The reusable widgets are designed to last for the length of your recovery, but the company will replace them for free if for some reason they don’t.
After using the WristWidget for a year, I’ve found them to be not quite as comfortable as tape, but a more practical solution for everyday training. They come in four stylish colors (black, red, blue or beige) and will fit any climbers’ wrists. Since introducing the WristWidget into my routine, I can withstand push-ups again, for at least a small amount of time. I’m also no longer as afraid of slopers, which is something tape could never quite do for me.
The WristWidget was developed by Wendy Medeiros, an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist. She designed her widget with non-elastic materials that provide structure and support in the places that actually need it. Unlike tape, a widget applies pressure selectively.
If you think you might have a TFCC tear but aren’t sure, try this weight-bearing test: using a digital scale, measure how hard you can press with each hand. If you have a TFCC tear, pressing on the injured hand will hurt and will be noticeably weaker.
According to Dr. Julian Sanders, TFCC tears may or may not heal, but symptoms do tend to lighten up. If pain is excruciating and unrelenting, surgery may be your best option, but I’d try the WristWidget first.
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