Carrying a server tray is no easy task. Servers have to transport glasses that are full of liquids across a busy space. Dodging guests to keep the order from crashing to the floor.

On top of that, carrying a tray in an effective manner may increase your risk of pain in the wrists. Today, I’m going to cover how to carry a tray and lower your risk of repetitive strain injuries in the wrist.  

How we carry a tray.

When a tray is carried, there are usually two ways we carry it. The first way is holding the tray in front with an angle of 90 degrees in the elbow. Usually the tray will stay near to the body and relatively in front of the person carrying it. The wrist will look pretty flat. Take a look at the photo below to get the idea.

The other way a tray is carried is in a raised position, placing the back of the wrist towards a 90-degree position. Usually the elbow is fully flexed and the tray sits closer to head height. Take a look at these photos to get an idea:

The tray may not actually sit on the shoulder during carrying but it will sit higher than the first carrying position.

These two positions don’t inherently cause problems when carrying a tray. Depending on the size of your tray you may be quite chained to how to carry it. However, if we learn a little bit of human anatomy, we can set ourselves up success every time we carry a tray.  

Support and Security: Structures of the wrist.

I want to point the attention to one specific structure on the back side of the wrist. It’s called the extensor retinaculum (ER) and it holds the structures of the wrist in place. Take a look at this anatomy drawing:

Photo credit: https://musculoskeletalkey.com/tendon-transfer-and-grafting-for-traumatic-extensor-tendon-disruption/

Take note a couple of items in the picture:

The tendons directly underneath the ER are the ones that will help pull the wrist into an extended position in normal ranges of motion in the wrist. In normal movements, the tendons are going to move freely underneath the ER without much problem. But as the wrist extends into the end point of it’s range the ER is going to start to rub up against these tendons. Prolonged contact will cause irritation to the ER.

We see impingement and irritation of the ER in athletes that have to produce force in the wrist from an extended wrist position. This is common in gymnasts, throwing athletes, and possible sports where pushing against something with an open palm is used.

Servers may not do any of the above activities but they will create a similar position when they carry a tray. Over time this irritation could become quite inflamed and lead to pain and discomfort in the wrist. Left for too long and we can cause damage that can only be fixed by surgery and permanent bracing.

Reducing pain and building success.

Before we move forward. I want to note that just because extension of the wrist may increase the chances of ER pain does not mean it will happen. There is best way to carry a tray and is dependent on the situation. That being said we can reduce the chances of pain and injury by using our anatomy to our advantage.

1) Aim for a neutral wrist:

Whenever you can, set your wrist towards a flat neutral position. Carrying the tray in front of you like Position 1 will help with that. This allows the Biceps and Triceps to help with carrying the tray and will help keep the ER from becoming impinged. If you are carrying in position 2 lift your elbow higher to create a more neutral wrist position.  

2) Drive engagement through the hands.

If we want to get the force off our wrists and back towards our hands, we are going to create an opposite force into the tray with our hands.

Spread your fingers as wide as possible when carrying the tray. This will help distribute the forces the tray transfers to your wrist.

Drive your finger tips into the tray. Pressing through the finger tips will lessen the load on the wrist. Make sure that your hands do not cup or your fingers start to curl. This will transfer weight back towards the wrist.

3) Slightly turn the hand outward so that the finger points away from you.

This will slightly relax the wrist extensors and take a small amount of pressure off the wrist itself. It will also keep the elbow and shoulder more engaged during carrying.

4) Practice good warm-up and cool down practices.

Take a moment to warm up before your shift. Take 2 minutes to do the following 2 exercises:

Wrist Warm up:

Hold your Wrists out straight in front of you. Fully extend your wrist upwards and then flex them downwards. Then do a circle with each wrist in each direction. Repeat 5 times. Check out this gif.

Finger Warmup:

Hold your hands out flat in front of you. Attempt to draw a circle with each finger without moving any other part of your hand. Your arms stay still through this whole process and your finger stay straight the whole time. Do for each finger on each hand.  

Work cool down:

If your hands feel particularly tired after work, take the time to stretch them out and relax them. Lightly pressing on the back of your hand to create flexion is great for tension on the back side of the wrist.

Strength training for wrists.

If you are carrying a tray in the raised position, we want to increase strength and stability in this position. There are a few exercises that will help with this. Now remember if you have chronic wrist pain you should check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. Also, if you have a chronic injury, you should be assessed and diagnosed before starting any exercises as treatment. If you are not sure who to work with, send me an email and I will help point you toward a practitioner that can help with your needs. 

Exercise #1:

Wrist push ups:

Perform 3 sets of 5 - 10 reps. It will help your wrist flexors activate and help them maintain a neutral potions while carrying a tray.

There you have it! Everything you need for reducing your chances of wrist pain while carrying a tray!