Exercise Practices For Hand Mobility

If you have difficulty performing daily tasks due to hand stiffness, edoema, or pain, the appropriate exercises can help you regain hand mobility.

Depending on the issue, therapists typically recommend particular hand exercises. Some improve the range of motion of a joint or stretch tight muscles and tendons. Other exercises strengthen the muscles surrounding the joint, increasing strength and endurance.

Below are five exercises typically recommended for hand and wrist issues. However, if your hand ailment is uncomfortable or incapacitating, you should consult a physical therapist for workout suggestions. To avoid pain and injury, all exercises should be performed slowly and carefully. If you have numbness or pain while exercising or afterward, stop and call your doctor.

Table of Contents

Range-of-motion hand exercises

Your muscles and tendons flex and straighten the joints, such as when you bend and straighten your fingers. If your normal range of motion is limited, for example, if you can’t bend your thumb without pain, you may have difficulty performing routine tasks like opening a jar. These exercises take the wrist and fingers through their typical ranges of motion and demand all the tendons in the hand to accomplish their particular duties. Tend each position for five to ten seconds. Perform one set of 10 reps three times per day.

1. Flexion and extension of the wrist

Place your forearm on a table above a rolled-up towel for padding, with your hand hanging off the table’s edge with your palm facing down.
Move the hand upward until a mild stretch is felt.
Keep the initial position.
Repeat the same movements with your elbow bent at your side and your palm pointing upward.

2. Pronation and supination of the wrist

You should stand or sit with your arm at your side, elbow bent to a 90-degree angle, and palm facing down.
Turn your palm so that it faces up and then down as you rotate your forearm.

3. Ulnar/radial deviation of the wrist

With your thumb facing upward, rest your forearm on a table on a rolled-up towel for padding or on your knee.
Move the wrist through its complete range of motion.

4. Thumb extension/flexion

Start with your thumb facing outward.
Move the thumb over the palm, then return it to its original place.

5. Tendon slide in the hand/finger

Start by extending your fingers straight out.
Make a hook fist and then revert to a straight-handed position.
Make a complete fist and then return to a straight hand.
Return to a straight hand after making a straight fist.

In this way, we increase hand mobility and strengthen your hand as well.