The Wrist as a Weightbearing Joint in Adult Handstand Practitioners: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Chronic Pain and Training-Related Factors

<b>Background:</b> Chronic wrist pain is becoming increasingly recognized among athletes engaging in wrist-loading activities such as handstands. However, its prevalence and associated risk factors in handstand practitioners have not been systematically studied. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of chronic wrist pain and to explore associated factors such as discipline, training habits, and pain management strategies. <b>Methods:</b> This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of chronic wrist pain among handstand practitioners. Eligible participants were individuals aged 18 years or older, of any gender, who practiced handstands regularly (defined as at least once per week). Participants were recruited via a combination of open invitations on social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram) and direct outreach to movement studios and training communities. The survey was administered online using Google Forms and remained open for two months. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Descriptive statistics were used to present sociodemographic characteristics, including age group, gender, sport discipline, and weekly training hours. Participants reported training habits, equipment use, pain history, and management strategies via a self-developed questionnaire designed for this study. Chronic pain was defined as recurring or persistent wrist pain. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize responses. Associations between chronic wrist pain and survey variables were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests for nominal data, and Chi-square test for trend for ordinal data. A <i>p</i>-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. <b>Results:</b> A total of 321 participants were included in the study. The most represented age group was 25-34 years, comprising 123 (38.3%) of the participants. Gender distribution was 174 (54.2%) males and 147 (45.8%) females. The most common sport disciplines were Yoga (88, 27.4%), Capoeira (60, 18.7%), and Movement (52, 16.2%). Chronic wrist pain was reported by 182 (56.7%) of participants. Younger age was significantly associated with higher pain prevalence (<i>p</i> = 0.042). No significant associations were observed between chronic pain and weekly training hours, warm-up routines, brace use, or grip device use. Female participants demonstrated more proactive pain management behaviors (<i>p</i> = 0.016). Sport discipline and training practices showed non-significant trends toward pain differences. <b>Conclusions:</b> Chronic wrist pain is common among handstand practitioners, particularly among younger athletes. These findings suggest that injury risk may relate more to training intensity and biomechanics than to simple training volume. Further research incorporating objective diagnostics and standardized intervention protocols is warranted.