Exercises For Hand Mobility
Release of Stiffness, Swelling or Pain
The Basics
WHAT: A selection of exercises for hand mobility.
SOURCE: Harvard Medical School Research
GREAT FOR: Fitness, Hand Mobility, Hand Injuries Prevention, Flexibility, Body Health
About
If you find daily tasks difficult to do because you suffer from stiffness, swelling, or pain in your hands, the right exercises can help get you back in motion. What are the components of health-related fitness when comes to hands?
Below you will find five commonly recommended exercises for hand and wrist problems. However, if your hand condition is painful or debilitating, it’s best to get exercise advice from a physical therapist. All exercises should be done slowly and deliberately, to avoid pain and injury.
Hand Mobility Exercises
1. Wrist extension and flexion.
- Place your forearm on a table on a rolled-up towel for padding with your hand hanging off the edge of the table, palm down.
- Move the hand upward until you feel a gentle stretch.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat the same motions with the elbow bent at your side, palm facing up.
2. Wrist supination / pronation
- Stand or sit with your arm at your side with the elbow bent to 90 degrees, palm facing down.
- Rotate your forearm, so that your palm faces up and then down.
3. Wrist ulnar/ radial devation
- Support your forearm on a table on a rolled-up towel for padding or on your knee, thumb upward.
- Move the wrist up and down through its full range of motion.
4. Thumb flexion/ extenion
- Begin with your thumb positioned outward.
- Move the thumb across the palm and back to the starting position.
5. Hand/finger tendon glide
- Start with the fingers extended straight out.
- Make a hook fist; return to a straight hand.
- Make a full fist; return to a straight hand.
- Make a straight fist; return to a straight hand.
