# Anything wrong with wearing wrist braces just because?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-wrong-with-wearing-wrist-braces-just-because/213492>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 16, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-wrong-with-wearing-wrist-braces-just-because/213492 "2003-11-16T02:00:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-wrong-with-wearing-wrist-braces-just-because/213492/1 "2003-11-16T02:00:48Z")

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Can wearing wrist braces for no apparent reason actually hurt your wrists?

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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-wrong-with-wearing-wrist-braces-just-because/213492/2 "2003-11-16T02:35:37Z")

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Certainly if the normal range of motion is limited for too long the wrist will lose flexibility and muscles will lose tone. This is a fair trade-off if one is dealing with problems like carpal tunnel. But it would seem rather silly to wear them constantly for no good reason.

Not that patients have not done silly things before. I remember finding a certain battery-powered…

Oh, never mind.

QtM, MD

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**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-wrong-with-wearing-wrist-braces-just-because/213492/3 "2003-11-16T02:43:20Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \*  
> \*\*Certainly if the normal range of motion is limited for too long the wrist will lose flexibility and muscles will lose tone. This is a fair trade-off if one is dealing with problems like carpal tunnel. But it would seem rather silly to wear them constantly for no good reason.
> 
> Not that patients have not done silly things before. I remember finding a certain battery-powered…
> 
> Oh, never mind.
> 
> QtM, MD \*\*

No, please, Dr. Mercotan. Enlighten us. 😃

I have noticed that my wrist tends to hurt more and tire more easily when I wear my splint. And I do have carpal tunnel syndrome.

Robin

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**Author:** ![Indefatigable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9d8465/32.png) [@Indefatigable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indefatigable)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-wrong-with-wearing-wrist-braces-just-because/213492/4 "2003-11-16T05:37:16Z")

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I’ve had wrist and knee problems before. I have braces to wear if they’re really bothering me, but I’ve been told not to wear the braces longer than I need to… they help support the joint and give the injured parts a rest, but other parts that aren’t injured are also helped more than they need to be, and consequently weaken.