Weightlifting and common body-weight exercises can cause a variety of hand and wrist injuries. Maroldi explained, “Oftentimes, tendons or ligaments are overloaded or repetitively strained during certain exercises, leading to tendinitis, tenosynovitis, or ligament sprains or tears.”

Although repetition is a common practice for building muscle, it’s not ideal for hand health. Maroldi noted, “Repetitive stresses from exercise can also lead to ganglion cysts, which most commonly appear on the back of the wrist.”

“Other exercises that involve dynamic movement and loading the wrists, such as snatches and clean and jerks, can lead to ligament tears in the wrist, most commonly the scapholunate ligament (SL ligament),” added Maroldi.

Another watch-out is weight-bearing exercises. “The most common exercises that cause wrist/hand injuries are those that involve weight-bearing or dynamic loading through extended wrists such as pushups and burpees,” said Maroldi.

Maroldi offered tips for avoiding injury during exercise, such as maintaining a neural wrist position. “Neutral wrist position means that the wrist is in slight extension (make a tight fist and the position your wrist is in is your neutral wrist position),” he explained.

Maroldi also advised to avoid overgripping. “Your wrists and hands are constantly working and under tension, and it is therefore not recommended to do specific wrist- or grip-strengthening exercises. Doing wrist curls or repetitive resisted gripping can lead to tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome, but training with proper technique, form, and body positioning will strengthen your wrist and grip functionally with less risk of injury,” he said.

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The angle of the elbows will affect how much pressure is felt in the joints. “If you have pain in the elbows, it's likely that your elbows are pointed straight behind you, rather than flared diagonally behind you,” explained Mattaini. “Dipping in a straight-back position stresses your triceps tendon,” he continued. Over time, that can lead to elbow discomfort and pain. With enough repetition, you may develop tendonitis (tendon inflammation) or tendinopathy (a breakdown of collagen in the tendon).

Check to be sure the elbows are in an ideal position. They should flare 45 degrees from your sides when you lower into a dip, cited Mattaini. To make sure you’re getting it right, he suggested watching yourself do the exercise in a mirror or taking a video.

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Dr. Altchek explained elbow injuries are categorized into three problem areas: tendon injuries, bony problems and ligament injuries. Tennis elbow is an injury to the extensor group tendon, originating at the outer part of the elbow extending through the forearm. Discomfort arises when extending the wrist against resistance and resolves in two to 12 months. Treatment involves ice, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and avoiding aggravating activities.

Elbows can develop “bone spurs” as a result of degeneration from osteoarthritis. In younger individuals, it can result from the repetitive overload of throwing or racquet sports. Most spurs occur in the back of the elbow, and limit ability to extend the elbow fully. Spurs can be easily removed with minor arthroscopic surgery.

According to Dr. Altchek, the most common elbow ligament injury is the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) on the inside of the elbow. Causes include trauma, or aggressive throwing, as seen in baseball pitchers. In athletes, this usually requires Tommy John surgery. Injuries also occur at the outside of the elbow, generally because of trauma or degeneration from tennis elbow. This injury can create significant disability and requires surgery.

This article appeared in the print edition on February 21, 2021.