3 exercises to help your wrists

Wrist pain is a common problem in life as well as exercise. Many who experience it have a condition brought about through repetitive stress from a job or activity. Some who feel wrist pain only experience it when in certain positions in exercise. The discomfort felt may be temporary, but for some it becomes a chronic condition that gradually limits activities.

It is vital to discover the source of our wrist problems in order to remove or reduce the irritating factors. Often wrist pain is a symptom of improper wrist posture during activities. If we can learn to correct our improper postures it can go a long way to helping heal the issue. Weak wrists are more likely to develop problems and strengthening our wrist muscles can result in substantial relief. Even if we are employing proper wrist postures, repetition of actions can lead to overuse syndromes. It is important for us to create cross training routines to help out overused wrists.

Of course if we have pain, a proper diagnosis is vital. Although I will share with you some helpful wrist exercises this will not replace evaluation by a competent doctor. Not all wrist problems are the same. In certain cases targeted physical therapy is necessary to resolve the issue. Some doctors seem more than willing to do surgery to resolve wrist problems and although this is sometimes necessary in advanced or unusual cases it would be prudent to take a conservative approach with physical therapy before resorting to surgery.

Wrist Exercise – Spider Hand

1. Start with your palm flat on a table.
2. Press your fingers down firmly onto the table so that your fingertips, knuckles and heel of your palm are evenly pressing.
3. Begin to press your fingertips down more firmly and slowly pull your fingers towards each other.
4. As you do this your palm will lift away from the table.
5. Continue until your finger tips meet and then slowly spread your fingers back onto the table until your hand is again flat.
6. Repeat a comfortable number of times.

Wrist Exercise – Finger Swirls

1. Start by spreading your fingers wide and then slowly curve your fingers inward as if you are holding a large ball.
2. Keep your fingers in this position.
3. Slowly lift your wrist up and down and then side to side.
4. Slowly begin to swirl your wrist in one direction and then in the other direction.
5. Create no action that causes you discomfort. Most people report they feel or hear slight popping sounds from their wrist when doing this exercise.

Wrist Exercise – Wrist Lifts

1. Start with your palm flat on a table.
2. Keep your fingers flat on the table from your finger tips to your knuckles.
3. Slowly lift your wrist and thumb upward from the table as far as is comfortable while you keep the entire surface of your fingers firmly against the table.
4. Slowly lower your wrist back to the starting position and repeat a comfortable number of times.

Although these exercises are simple, you may find them difficult to do at first. Remember to create no sensations of discomfort as you exercise. These simple exercises work best if you repeat them frequently such as once or twice a day to a mild feeling of fatigue. If you are looking for ways to keep your wrists comfortable in yoga, check out my previous post on this topic.