Akeso Health Sciences and the MigreLief website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something that you have read on this website, blog, or in any linked materials. Bring the tip of the thumb together with the tip of each finger, one at a time.
With the palm facing down, bend the wrist, so the fingers point toward the floor. There are several exercises and stretches a person can try to help relieve the symptoms of carpal tunnel. Do the following exercises once a day or every other day to help improve your hand strength and mobility.
Table of Contents
Thumb Stretches
You can purchase a number of NSAIDs over the counter, but some are only available as prescriptions. Also, the stronger your muscles are, the more weight they can handle. The bones in your joints carry less weight, as a result, and your damaged cartilage is better protected. Bend the second and third joint of the fingers in toward the palm, but do not bend the knuckles. You can get a lighter stretch with a bent elbow or a deeper stretch by straightening the elbow until you feel a little bit of tension. Stretch out your fingers on the palm side.
Then, clasp your fingers and rub the heels of your palms together in a circular motion. Stretch your arm out in front of you and straighten the fingers. Stretch your right arm out in front of you and bend your hand, so your palm is facing down and towards you. Place your right elbow into the crook of the left. The backs of your hands should be touching.
Exercises can improve mobility and decrease the chance of injury or reinjury. Wrist stretches are easy to do at home or at the office. When done properly, they can benefit a person’s overall wrist and hand health.
Exercises To Improve Hand Mobility
Having a strong grip or good dexterity is easy to take for granted when your hands are healthy. Summit hand therapist Jared Venier, OTR/L, is here to help with a few hand stretches that you might not have tried before. If you want to increase the range of motion in your hands, put them through a small strength-training circuit.
This is more common for gamers who use controllers. • Make a straight fist; return to a straight hand. This is an excellent exercise to both relax and improve fine motor skills of an affected finger. You should remember this technique if someone dropped a jigsaw puzzle and you need to help pick up all the items.
Pinch Strengtheners
Dress warmly afterwards to prolong the benefit. A heating pad is another good way to warm up an area. You can also buy moist heat pads, or heat a damp washcloth in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Test it to make sure it’s not too hot, then wrap it in a dry towel and apply it to the painful area. Finger pain and general discomfort are due to inflammation, and research has identified EPA and DHA as helpful in reducing inflammation levels.
Include both sides of the forearm to loosen all the constrictions. Carpal tunnel syndrome causes tingling, burning, itching, or numbness in the hand, when the median nerve of the wrist becomes compressed. In some cases, individuals may need a steroid injection in the wrist to provide longer-lasting relief. Bend the top of the fingers to make a hook shape.
Put one hand on a table with your palm facing down. Slowly bend your fingers into a fist, keeping your thumb outside. Be gentle and avoid squeezing your hand too tightly. You would be pretty disabled if you had no hands, fingers, or opposable thumbs. Without a thumb and easily moving fingers, think of all the things you would not be able to do. 5 hand exercises to maintain your dexterity and flexibility.
Hold arm outward, your palm directed upward and away from you. With the fingers of the other hand, bend the fingers of the hand being exercised backward by applying pressure. Hold pressure for a few seconds, then relax and repeat several times per hand. Join your palms and interlock the fingers. Now that your fingers are crossed exert some pressure from both palms for 4-8 seconds.
Strengthening the muscles of your thumbs can help you grab and lift heavy things like cans and bottles. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds and release. Take a 5-minute stretching break every hour for continuous computer work and every few hours for lighter work.
Those with RA tend to have prolonged periods of morning stiffness compared with people with OA. Straighten your hand and fingers back to the starting position. Sit up straight in a chair and look directly ahead of you. Place the fingers and palms of your hands together. Do this 2–3 times a week, and make sure to rest your hands for 48 hours in between sessions.
In a study published in 2015 in The Lancet, people with rheumatoid arthritis were taught how to do daily hand exercises as part of their treatment plan. After a year, they showed twice the improvement in hand function as those who didn’t do the exercises. They also had better grip and more flexibility in their fingers. But the exercises must be done regularly; in a follow-up study a year later, researchers found the benefits went away in people who stopped doing them. Your muscles and tendons move the joints through arcs of motion, as when you bend and straighten your fingers.
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