The Most Common Injuries That End Progress and How to Stop Them

What if an ache occurs in your wrist? It is not a tight joint, but the initial sign of career-ending tears.

What if the shoulder tweak you ignored last week turned into six months off? Somehow, if you train handstands or specific bodyweight sports seriously, injuries don't happen just like that. They inevitably took place.

Now, the question that revolves around is, what is the worst injury? According to expert doctors from Injury Rely, you can discuss all sorts of severe injuries thoroughly and consider how to prevent and treat them. This specific blog is a comprehensive, medically backed guide that breaks down the most common injuries that occur in calisthenics, ranked from minor annoyances to severe setbacks.

For everyone, we will show you

• How exactly did it happen? (and why it is usually preventable)
• What stops you from doing it?
• How to exactly fix it? (with the aid of specific rehab tools and movement strategies)
• What exactly do most people get wrong? (and what to do instead)

Along this way, you will hear about clinical advice from doctors of our Injury Rely. However, before diving into the list, it is essential to understand why injuries typically occur.

Why Injuries Are So Common (and So Misunderstood)

It is the drive that makes athletes supersede themselves, but it also breaks them.

You usually want to master the one-arm pull-up, the full planche, and the handstand push-up quickly.

Whereas, in bodyweight training, there are no belts to hide behind. Every joint, every tendon does get exposed. And when progression isn't structured, pain builds up silently. According to the doctors at Injury Rely, the causes are micro-tears, overuse, and compensation. Indeed, in one day, it isn't just pain; rather, it is surgery. This blog addresses the following topics.

• To expose the early warning signs
• To prevent the injuries, you think "that won't happen to you".
• And to help you build the kind of strengths that actually last.

It is time to dive into the list.

Forearm Splints (Medial Forearm Tendinopathy)

Forearm splints are frustrating and persistent by nature. But it is fully recoverable in nature.

What does it usually feel like?

This is a sharp, pinpoint pain located along the inner forearm, between the wrist and elbow. You will certainly notice it after a planche or a handstand session, not during exercise. It certainly feels like your forearm is sore right on the bone, and pressing on it will make it wince.

Why does it usually happen?

This is the upper-body version of the shin splints. It is common when you certainly ramp up planche or handstand work, especially on the P-bars. However, the tendons and connective tissue within the forearm become inflamed from repeated compression and overuse, especially when the wrist is hyperextended under enormous loads.

What stops you from doing?

You won't be able to perform floor-based planche, handstands, or wrist-loaded holds. You will be fine alongside the mid-movement, but letting go or transitioning out of the hold does send a jolt through your entire forearm.

How to fix it:

• Targeted strength work
  It is through wrist push-ups, wrist curls, and planche-specific prep exercises (like calm raises) that we can strengthen the connective tissue.
• Surface Adjustment
  Always switch from floor to P-bars or blocks just to reduce wrist compression.
• Mobility work
  Constantly improve wrist and finger mobility just to reduce stress during holds.
• Load management
  Also, pull back on volume and intensity. Slowly rebuild capacity over time.

Experts Advice

According to expert doctors from Injury Rely, never panic; it is a treatable condition. This was the first injury that you may have ever gotten, including the wrist work, and innovative progression, and never force through the pain.

Ganglion Cyst

A Ganglion Cyst is harmless, yet sometimes crippling, depending on its location.

What does it feel like?

However, a visible lump is present on the back or underside of the wrist. It may not hurt at all, or at times, it feels like a hard pressure pushing into the joint, especially during wrist extension, such as when it occurs in handstands.

Why does it happen?

Ganglion cysts are sacs of synovial fluids that mostly leaks from the wrist joint. As a result, it bulges out and forms a balloon-like lump, typically due to repetitive wrist strain or the presence of an underlying joint tissue issue. If you sit directly on the joint, you can easily compromise both your range of motion and your tolerance to pain.

What stops you from doing?

It is the handstands on the floor that are usually the first to go. If the cyst is located in a sensitive area, even sitting or pushing up from a chair can cause discomfort. It is never always severe, but when it is, it is incredibly limiting.

How to exactly fix it?

• Train around it
  It is the P-bars or parallel bars that sometimes allow you to continue practicing pain-free.
• Aspiration (not recommended)
  However, sucking the fluid out with a needle often doesn't work in the long term; it tends to come back.
• Surgery
  The most efficient option is to remove the cyst if it is large or interfering with the training. Recovery does take time, and surgery always carries risk.
• Conservative rest
  In most cases, it will shrink down on its own, especially if you ease off high-pressure wrist work.

Experts Advice

If the cysts don't stop you, just leave them. If it's interfering with your training or causing you significant pain, consider consulting a specialist from Injury Rely. They have observed people train around it for years, but also a few who require surgery to finally move out.

Wrist Nerve Compression (Carpal Tunnel / Ulnar Nerve Entrapment)

An expert talks about what is the worst injury? Wrist nerve compression can be annoying, unusual, and temporary in nature.

What does it really feel like?

In this injury, you often feel a tingling or numbness within your fingers, especially at the pink and ring finger (ulnar nerve), or the thumb and the first two fingers, like that of the median nerve. It feels like your hand is falling asleep at mid-handstand.

Why did it really happen?

According to experts from Injury Rely, it primarily affects beginners who ramp up their handstand practice too quickly. Furthermore, excessive pressure on the wrist and elbow compresses the nerve that runs into the hand. Furthermore, poor alignment, over-gripping, and extreme wrist angles are common triggers.

What stops you from doing?

Handstands are the big ones. If you continue to perform push-ups, typing, and even sleeping on your arm, it will aggravate the injury. It is more of a mental scare than a showstopper, unless it happens to be chronic by nature.

How to fix it?

• Progress slowly
  Never jump into full handstand volume right away. Let your body adapt.
• Nerve flossing
  It is the gentle stretches that glide the nerve back and forth through its sheath that help you to relieve symptoms.
• Technique check
  Kindly ensure your wrist, elbow, and shoulder alignment is solid, and avoid collapsing into your pinky side or cranking the wrist angle.
• Wrist strength & mobility
  Do train both the flexion and extension, and try to maintain healthy ROM to reduce nerve tension.

Experts advice

According to experts from Injury Rely, do not unnecessarily tense up and freak out for a minute. Tingling doesn't mean damage; it means irritation. All you need to do is adjust your setup, and it will be fine. Our medical experts have already witnessed dozens of people contract this condition and recover fully within a matter of weeks.

General Wrist Pain (Overuse Syndrome)

General wrist pains are common and frustrating by nature. But it is manageable with the aid of innovative training.

What does it feel like?

All you feel is a dull and sharp ache somewhere in the wrist joint. Typically, this pain is felt on the front or back of the wrist. It primarily occurs during or after load-bearing movements. It never has a clear-cut location. You will know that it certainly hurts when you perform too much handstand, floor work, and planche.

Why does it happen?

Most of the wrist pain isn't due to a single specific diagnosis. It is a mix of overuse, compression, and poor load management.

What stops you from doing?

Floor-based work is the main casualty. Handstands, planche, push-ups, and transitions involving wrist extension can certainly become painful. Even typing and carrying groceries can feel tender if you have overloaded the joint.

How to fix it?

• Modify angles
  Use parallel bars, blocks, or a slanted board to reduce wrist extension and continue training with less stress.
• Wrist conditioning
  It consists of mobility drills, loaded wrist flexion and extension, and wrist rotations, which should be performed 2-3 times per week.
• Load regulation
  Always avoid training even through sharp pain. Therefore, use a pain scale of 2 to 3 out of 10 and ensure that it does not worsen on the very next day.
• Gradual reintroduction
  Never jump straight back to full ROM. Increase wrist loading and flatten the training surface over time.

Expert Advice

Never stop training altogether. Modify, regress, and keep on moving. Over time, your wrists will certainly adapt, provided you work with them, not against them.

Golfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)

Golfer's Elbow can be a long-lasting and stubborn condition, especially if left untreated.

What does it really feel like?

You mostly feel a deep burning ache on the inside of your elbow, right where the forearm meets the upper arm. It typically begins as mild discomfort during pull-ups and gripping, and gradually develops into constant pain, even when at rest.

Why did it really happen?

Therefore, repetitive pulling movements, especially one-arm pull-ups, false grip holds, and muscle-up transitions, do create chronic stress on the flexor tendons of the forearm.

These tendons attach to the medial epicondyle, and when it is overloaded, they break down faster than they can be repaired.

What stops you from doing?

Therefore, pull-ups, muscle-ups, curls, and even push-ups do become painful. In most severe cases, thus, holding a bag or brushing your teeth can trigger it. It mainly affects both elbows in serious athletes.

How to fix it?

• Grip variation
  Do continuously rotate between pronated, supinated, and neutral grips while pulling to avoid overloading one tendon repeatedly.
• Conservative rehab
  Always use light weights, such as 20-25 reps, slow eccentric contractions, and aim for 3 to 4 sessions per week for focused tendon rehabilitation.
• Avoid full rest
  However, completely resting the tendon mostly backfires; instead, find movements that stay within a 2- to 3-pain level and build from there.

Expert advice

According to experts, recovery from this injury can be achieved through continuous rehabilitation and training.

The Good News: 90% of These Injuries Are Preventable

Most of the injuries mentioned above aren't freak accidents; instead, they are the result of rushed progressions, weak stabilizers, and poor movement habits. The bare truth is? Strength alone isn't enough. It is the innovative structure, mobility, and listening to your body that are the real superpowers. Most of the solutions provided by our expert doctors from Injury Rely come with strength, mobility, and movement control to build resilience for all adaptable athletes.

Final Thought

Injuries aren't really regarded as a sign of weakness. They are a sign of whether your body is really asking for change. Therefore, train smarter, move better, and if you have been stuck, do remember that recovery is absolutely possible, with the correct set of strategies.