Beyond the Routine
with Renew Physical Therapy
Helping Gymnasts Grow Strong for Sport — and Life
Let’s talk about...
WRIST PAIN
In gymnastics and cheer, your wrists aren’t just along for the ride — they’re weight-bearing joints. They absorb force, stabilize landings, and support skills that most sports would never ask of them. So it’s no surprise that wrist pain is one of the most common complaints we see.
Wrist pain can show up for several reasons:
- A traumatic fall or hard landing
- Repetitive overuse
- Asking your wrist to handle more load or volume than it’s prepared for
When your wrists are constantly taking impact without enough strength, mobility, or recovery, small aches can quickly turn into bigger problems.
So what can you do?
Let’s start with flexibility.
Normal wrist extension (bending your wrist back) is about 70–90 degrees. But in skills like handstands, tumbling, and stunts, your wrists often need to move past 90 degrees to safely support your body weight.
If your wrists don’t have enough mobility, your body will find a workaround — usually by turning your hands out.
The problem?
Hands turned out put your wrists, elbows, and shoulders in weaker, less supportive positions. That extra strain can travel up the chain and increase your risk of pain or injury in all three joints.
In other words, limited wrist motion doesn’t just affect your wrists — it affects everything above them.
Making sure you have adequate flexibility is one of the simplest ways to protect yourself and perform with confidence.
The video below walks you through a few simple wrist stretches that are perfect to perform before any gymnastics or cheer practice:
So now that we’ve worked on our flexibility, it’s time to address our wrist strength. Flexibility alone isn’t enough — muscular strength is what helps your wrists absorb impact, stabilize skills, and stay resilient throughout the season.
Check out the videos below to learn 5 effective exercises to strengthen your wrists and keep them competition-ready:
A few minutes of mobility and strength work each day can help you train more consistently, perform with confidence, and avoid small aches turning into bigger injuries.
But if you’re already dealing with wrist pain, stiffness that won’t go away, or discomfort during skills like handstands, tumbling, or stunting, it’s worth getting it checked out sooner rather than later. Pain is your body’s way of asking for help — and addressing it early can keep you from missing practice or competitions.
If you have questions, want guidance on more exercises, or need individualized support, I’m always happy to help. Reach out to Renew Physical Therapy to schedule an evaluation, and we can create a plan together to keep you strong, healthy, and doing the sport you love!
Train smart. Stay strong. See you in the gym!
Ashlynn Bryson, PT
Former US National Team Member for Trampoline and Tumbling
World Championship silver medalist
