Tag: wrist injury

• Two Wrist Surgeries in a Year: Lessons from Chronic Pain, Recovery, and Resilience

  

  I’ve had wrist surgery for the second time in less than a year.

  Altogether, I’ve had wrist pain on and off for the past couple of years.

  It all started with me doing weighted pull-ups at the gym a couple of years ago, after I returned to training following a layoff.

  When I performed these weighted pull-ups, I felt a severe pull in my wrist during the descent part of the rep.

  I got my first wrist surgery

  After a year of chronic pain, an orthopaedic surgeon said I needed wrist surgery.

  I had the surgery, and the surgeon found out I had a dorsal capsular tear of my triangular fibrocartilage complex ( the cartilage that connects the head of your ulna bone to your hand and wrist).

  After I had this surgery, everything seemed to go swimmingly until around 7 months after my surgery, when I pulled open my car door a bit more forcefully than I was used to.

  I started to feel pain again, even though I was told that pulling my car door should never have caused any problems ( although I pulled slightly more forcefully than usual).

  As a side note, my surgery was in December 2024, and the new pain started in June 2025.

  I needed a second surgery

  Because my wrist pain and instability had returned, another surgeon evaluated me and explained that the first surgery had repaired the main injury, but my TFCC—essentially the wrist cartilage—had slightly detached from the ulna bone, potentially as a result of the initial injury.

  Yesterday I had my second wrist surgery ( both surgeries were on my right wrist).

  The surgeon explained that the operation succeeded and that my entire wrist is now fixed. I just need to wait for it to recover and heal.

  The past two years have been testing. Here is what I’ve learned:

  • Don’t do weighted pull-ups; instead, do the lat pull-down with a low weight and perfect form.
  • Even though you may be going through pain because of an injury or illness, try to keep your life as normal as possible – otherwise, like me after my first wrist surgery, you may experience feelings of depression and isolation ( if idleness creeps in, stay busy- the devil makes work of idle hands). Realise that what you’re going through won’t last forever.
  • Don’t stop writing ( I know I only have one hand I can use while my right wrist recovers and can’t use a computer or keyboard, but I can use my phone to write like I am now on Apple Notes).
  • Continue attending church on weekends and spend time with friends and family.
  • Keep reading. Reading helps me experience such tranquillity.
  • Do what you can as best you can. I have been severely limited over the past couple of years due to my injury, but I don’t use that as an excuse. I’ve continued to be productive at work and as a writer.
  • An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you’re not injured or sick now, try your best to keep it that way.
  • Listen to music – this is one of the quickest ways to improve your mood.

  The bottom line

  If you’ve suffered chronic pain or prolonged illness, I’m sure this post will resonate with you. If you’re currently going through chronic pain, I hope my story inspires and helps you. Lastly, if you’ve never dealt with chronic pain or illness, I pray you never will, and hopefully, some of the advice in this post helps.

  As a side note, if you’re in pain, consult a medical professional. Persevere, I promise it’s worth it.

  We should treat good health as divine and never take it for granted.

  Your health is good until it’s not.

  I share ideas that challenge how you think and help you grow — all for free.

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  19th Nov 2025

  mental-health, my experience, resilience, wrist injury, wrist surgery

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• Why You Shouldn’t Do Weighted Chin-Ups Or Weighted Pull-Ups

  Last year, I needed to get surgery on my wrist because I tore my cartilage in my wrist after performing weighted chin-ups.

  I’m writing this post because I don’t want you to get injured like I did.

  I was in chronic pain due to getting this injury, and being in pain every day was tough.

  Here’s how my injury occurred.

  I was working out at the gym. The workout was a pull day, during which I trained my back and biceps.

  I started the workout with deadlifts, then barbell rows, and then weighted chin-ups.

  I warmed up for deadlifts, so usually, once I do this, I’m warmed up for my other exercises.

  Although to perform weighted chin-ups I attached a 15kg plate to my waist using a belt with a chain ( to attach a weight plate to my body), I was performing six reps with 15kg attached to my waist. Unfortunately, I felt a pop in my wrist mid-set, and the cartilage was torn.

  It took me a year to get a diagnosis and to get my wrist fixed surgically.

  What To Do So You Don’t Suffer The Same Fate As Me

  1. Never do weighted chin-ups or pull-ups; only use your body weight. If you can do 20 pull-ups or chin-ups in a row, you’ll have incredible back and bicep strength.
  2. If you’re not strong enough to perform bodyweight chin-ups and pull-ups, I recommend using the lat pulldown until you can perform the lat pulldown of your body weight for three sets of 10 reps. If you can do that, you should be fine to perform bodyweight chin-ups and pull-ups.

  I Stay Away From Doing Chin Ups And Pull Ups Now

  This is because it’s easier to control a lighter weight on a lat pulldown than using your body weight straight out of the bat.

  Also, warming up for lat pulldowns is easier than warming up for pull-ups or chin-ups.

  With pull-ups or chin-ups, you can’t start off any lighter than your body weight during your warm-up sets.

  Using the lat pulldown, you can reduce the weight to as little as 5kg or even lower.

  Now, I always warm up for lat pull-downs and don’t perform pull-ups or chin-ups.

  I recommend that you do the same if you want to reduce your risk of injury. 

  I also don’t lift ultra-heavy anymore. I won’t do any sets heavier than eight reps ( about 80% of my one rep max). 

  Click here to join my 5-bullet Friday newsletter. Every Friday, I share five thoughts, insights, quotes, products, recommendations, etc. that have helped me and might also help you.

  6th Jul 2025

  back day, biceps, chin ups, chin-up, Health, improvement, lat pulldown, life, mental-health, pull ups, TFCC, tfcc tear, wrist injury

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