How To Improve Hand and Wrist Strength

Think about the activities you can only do because you use your hands. Your wrists and hands perform a variety of activities for you every day, from typing on a keyboard to gripping the steering wheel in your car. Over time, repetitive motions like these can create stiffness and even weakness from your forearms to your fingers. Daily stretching and exercises for your hands and wrists can help to prevent injury and work to strengthen your hands and wrists at the same time.

 

Some Simple Stretches + Benefits
When you take your hands and wrists through a stretching routine, then you are helping to accomplish a few things, such as increased flexibility, reducing risk of injury, and preventing pain.

There are many easy ways to stretch your wrists and hands.

 

A few stretches you should try out include:

Clench fists – As you sit, place your hands open on your legs with your palms facing up. Close your hands until you make a fist, but make sure not to clench them too tightly and make sure to go slow. Raise your fists from your legs toward your body, bending at the wrists, and hold for 10 seconds. Lower your hands to your legs and open your hands wide as you do. Repeat 10 times.

Arm extensions – This is a great stretch you can do easily by extending your arms palm up toward the ceiling. Take your free hand and gently pull the fingers on the raised hand back toward you and hold for up to 30 seconds. Repeat with both arms, completing two to three cycles.

Praying pose – Stand up and put your palms together as if you’re going to pray. Bring your elbows together as you do this with your hands in front of your face. Your arms should be touching from your fingers to the elbows. Next, spread your elbows apart and move your hands in the direction of your waist until you sense the stretch. Hold for up to 30 seconds and then repeat.

 

HOW TO BUILD STRENGTH

Stretching is only one part of the equation, you should also try to build strength in your hands and wrists. You can do this easily with a few of these hand and wrist workouts:

• Tennis ball squeeze – Simply get a tennis ball or stress ball and hold it firmly for up to 10 seconds at a time.
• Thumb exercise – Make a fist with your thumb pointing up, like you’re giving a thumbs-up sign. Then pull back on your thumb with your other hand as you try to keep your thumb from moving out of position. You can also push the thumb away from you while trying to keep it in the thumbs-up position. Hold for as long as you can, up to 30 seconds.

 

You can avoid or minimize any pain you may be experiencing with some simple stretches and exercises. The important thing to remember is that even though your hands and wrists aren’t obvious parts of the body to stretch and exercise, that doesn’t mean you should avoid it.

 

Dr. Brian Augustine of Augustine Chiropractic in Wesley Chapel, FL, has over 31 years of experience treating patients for their neck pain and other ailments through personalized chiropractic care treatments. The locally owned and operated chiropractic clinic offers both in-office treatments and at-home therapy regimens to help people recover and heal from auto injuries and other conditions. The staff is dedicated to providing alternative and therapeutic solutions for better overall health. Give them a call today at (813) 994-6008 to schedule an appointment or visit their website to learn more about their services!