Wrist pain

Question
I am a 15 year old lightweight rower, 5'3" and about 90 lbs. I love rowing and am on a varsity team. After i row or erg, i have intense pain in my wrists and the that radiates up my arms. our team moto is be stoic, so i dont want to complain to my coach about it, my wrists are slightly swollen, but other than that they look norma.

Answer
Hi Sammi: It's one thing to be stoic.  But intense pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong.  

It might be that you are experiencing severe muscle fatigue in your wrists and forearms, which could cause that pain.  That could be remedied with some muscle building exercises that stregthen your wrists like reverse barbell curls or wrist rolls.  But it might also be some kind of tendon or ligament injury, which would need medical attention.  Since I am not a doctor, there is no way for me to determine what you have.  You definitely need to do something to relieve the pain, because I would be concerned about the risk of crabbing in a race if the wrist pain is excrutiating as you say.

You should see either an athletic trainer, physical therapist or even your pediatrician to determine what is causing your pain.  


Good Luck/AP