Wrist Support: FSA Eligibility

What are wrist supports?

Wrist supports are garments worn around the wrist to protect it during sports or other intense activity, or for allowing it to heal. Wrist braces are common accessories in injury rehabilitation processes affecting the wrist as they immobilize the joint into a neural position, which minimizes stress at the repair site. Choosing the type of brace requires an evaluation of which structures are damaged, the severity of the injury, movement permitted and activities you plan to perform whilst still wearing the brace.

How are they used in sports?

Wrist braces help protect the wrist in activities where wrists require extraordinary effort like weightlifting and bodybuilding, or those that require a lot of wrist play with a paddle or racket, like tennis, badminton, and hockey. Some wrist braces even have a double purpose of protecting the wrist and allowing the player to wipe sweat from the forehead as they are made from absorbent materials such as cotton or plush.

How do wrist injuries occur?

Aside from sports, a lot of injuries to the wrist also occur in overuse scenarios where the wrist is placed under continual, repeated strain. These injuries are called RSI or repetitive strain injuries, and includes conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome and muscle and tendon inflammation.

What are different types of wrist supports?

Wrist splints offer the highest level of support and are made solely of plastic or metal, although they often have a soft material inside to make it more comfortable. They cover the front and back of the wrist to prevent most movements. They are most suitable for the most severe conditions where partial immobilization is required.

Medium protection braces vary in the type of support and the movement permitted and generally have neoprene supports that are good for comfort and warmth. Conditions such as tendonitis and ligament sprains would most benefit from these braces.

Low level supports are usually simple elastic grips or neoprene supports which do not cross the wrist to the hand and so still allow full movement at the joint. This offers very little support and so is really only be useful for heat retention and compression to reduce swelling (WebMD).