Improve Hand Mobility

These exercises will greatly improve your hand mobility if you have swelling or pain in hands

If your hands are in pain, are swelled or feel stiff and you have problems in performing day-to-day tasks with your hands, some exercises can greatly help you and increase your hand mobility. Usually physical therapists suggest particular exercises for specific hand or wrist conditions. This article presents some exercises which can easily be performed at home to increase the range of motion of your hand.

Read the complete article to learn more about these exercises!

Range-of-motion exercises

Your muscles and tendons move the joints through arcs of motion, such as when you bend and straighten your fingers. If your normal range of motion is impaired — if you can’t bend your thumb without pain, for example — you may have trouble doing ordinary things like opening a jar.

These exercises move your wrist and fingers through their normal ranges of motion and require all the hand’s tendons to perform their specific functions. They should be done slowly and deliberately, to avoid injury. If you feel numbness or pain during or after exercising, stop and contact your doctor.

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.

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.

The original article can be accessed here:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/5-exercises-to-improve-hand-mobility-and-reduce-pain