I Have Wrist Pain When I Lift Weights and My Wrist Feels Numb

Wrist pain when you lift weights with numbness can happen when repeated gripping and wrist positioning irritate a nerve around your wrist.

If your wrist starts feeling numb while you lift, you may notice it when holding a dumbbell, barbell, cable handle, or other weight firmly. The numbness can be especially noticeable when your wrist stays bent or held in the same position while you continue gripping and moving the weight.

A nerve that becomes irritated around the wrist can send unusual sensations into the hand or fingers while the area is under repeated pressure. Wrist pain can occur at the same time because the muscles and tendons around the joint are also working repeatedly during your workout.

Holding The Weight Can Irritate A Wrist Nerve

A firm grip can increase pressure around the wrist while a nerve is already being irritated.

When you squeeze a weight handle, the muscles around your hand and wrist stay active to keep your grip secure. If your wrist is also bent or held rigidly during the exercise, that position can make the space around an irritated nerve less comfortable and bring on numbness or tingling.

The Numbness Becomes More Noticeable As You Keep Gripping

Repeated gripping can make nerve irritation more noticeable as the workout continues.

Each additional repetition keeps your hand and wrist in use, giving an irritated nerve more exposure to the same pressure and positioning. You may start a set with only wrist pain and then notice numbness spreading into part of your hand or fingers as you keep lifting.

Why Your Wrist Keeps Feeling Numb During Lifting

Your wrist has a hard time healing when blood flow and circulation are limited.

Tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues naturally receive less blood supply than many other parts of the body. Because of this, they often take longer to heal after repeated stress or injury, leaving you more vulnerable to lingering pain and a cycle of reinjury.

When circulation through the area remains limited, injured tissues have a harder time receiving the vital oxygen and nutrients they need to repair and heal. This can leave your wrist feeling stiff, tight, weak, or painful during everyday movement and activity.

What Can Help Your Wrist Feel Better

Your wrist starts feeling better when blood flow and circulation improve.

Chinese herbs have been used for centuries to promote healthy blood flow and circulation. Their medicinal properties help break up stagnant blood and fluids that remain trapped around injured tissues, interfering with circulation. As circulation improves, blood flows more freely through the area, allowing those tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to heal properly.

Topical herbal remedies made with these Chinese herbs can help relieve pain while improving blood flow and circulation to injured tissues. The right product depends on your symptoms and whether you're in the acute or chronic stage of recovery.

If you have pain, swelling, inflammation, or bruising, Acute Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by increasing circulation and dispersing stagnant blood and fluids around the injured area to speed recovery. During the acute stage of healing, getting circulation moving early allows injured tissues to receive the fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients they need to repair and heal.

If your injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch after a recent injury or flare-up, Sinew Herbal Ice is also used to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation so you can quickly regain range of motion. While traditional ice is commonly used to reduce swelling, Sinew Herbal Ice acts as an ice alternative to reduce swelling and inflammation while also dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to speed the healing process.

If you no longer have swelling or inflammation, but still have pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold and damp weather, Chronic Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by strongly stimulating circulation and increasing blood supply to injured tendons and ligaments to promote their healing. This is especially important because tendons and ligaments naturally receive less blood supply, which is why chronic injuries can take longer to heal.

If you have residual pain and stiffness, or the area becomes more painful in cold weather, Sinew Injury Poultice is also used to significantly stimulate circulation to injured tendons and ligaments to further promote their healing. By strongly increasing circulation, it counteracts the reduced blood flow caused by cold weather that commonly aggravates chronic tendon and ligament injuries.

If you exercise, play sports, or do other strenuous activities, Sinew Sports Massage Oil warms and stimulates muscles for exertion and relieves muscle tightness and soreness after activity. Warming and preparing your muscles before activity can improve flexibility, enhance performance, and reduce the risk of injury.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also find these commonly asked questions helpful.

Why does my wrist feel numb when I lift weights?

Wrist numbness during lifting can occur when repeated gripping and wrist positioning irritate or put pressure on a nerve around your wrist.

Why does my wrist become numb during my workout?

Continued gripping and repeated wrist positioning can increase pressure around an irritated nerve, making numbness more noticeable as you keep lifting.

Can lifting weights irritate a nerve in my wrist?

Yes. Repeated gripping and keeping your wrist bent or fixed in one position can contribute to nerve irritation and numbness.

Should I keep lifting if my wrist feels numb?

If lifting repeatedly causes numbness, stopping or reducing the movement that triggers it can help avoid further irritation.

When should I have wrist numbness checked?

Persistent or worsening numbness, especially with weakness, loss of hand function, severe pain, or symptoms that continue after lifting, should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.

The information provided here is intended to help you better understand your symptoms and recovery, but it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.