Your hands and wrist are the most vulnerable areas of your body to repetitive stress motion from a poorly set up workstation. According to many physical therapists, doing wrist and hand exercises at home is important to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and other painful conditions. You may be required to go to outpatient physical therapy.
Stress to the upper extremities can lead to some conditions.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome
- Metacarpals and carpals dysfunction
- Golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow
- Tenosynovitis
A survey found that 8 million people suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome each year. This is due to repetitive stress motions and wrist dysfunction.
Many physical therapists recommend home-based exercises for the hand and wrist, which can be done with household items.
Carpal tunnel tendon glides
These steps will help you to perform these exercises.
- Keep your arm straight before your face as if you’re stopping someone.
- Gently bend your fingers so that your tips touch the base of your fingers. Hold this position for three seconds
- Revert to open palm position
- Slowly position your hand so that it forms a fist. Now, gently squeeze.
- Hold this position for 3 seconds
- Revert back to the open-palm position
- You can move to the L position by moving your fingers forward and your knuckles straight.
- This position is only possible for the fingers attached to your hands.
- For 3 seconds, hold this position and then return to the open palm position.
- Your fingers should be bent at the first and middle joints so that your tip touches your lower portion. Keep your fingers straight at the joint that attaches fingers to hands. Hold this position for three seconds, then open your palm.
Rubber Band Finger Extension
Joint problems can occur if your work involves a lot of computer use and your fingers are slightly bent from typing for long hours. This can be done with the aid of a rubber band. This is how it’s done
- Use a rubber band
- Place your forearm on a coffee table
- Put the rubber band around your fingertips
- Slowly extend your fingers to resist the rubber band’s force. Hold this position for three seconds, then slowly return to the starting position
- Repeat it 10 to 15 more times
These two exercises are in addition to the exercises we do for wrist and hand problems
