5 Finger and Hand Exercises You Should Be Doing Every Day

October 20th, 2020

 

5 Finger and Hand Exercises You Should Be Doing Every Day

Finger and hand exercises will help strengthen your hands and can assist with many injuries. Here are 5 ways to exercise your hands and fingers.

Are you experiencing arthritis or tendonitis in your fingers? Do you have a hand and wrist injury that’s preventing you from enjoying everyday life? If so, then you need to learn about several hand exercises you can do to improve your situation. 

Doing these hand exercises, in combination with seeing a hand therapy expert, can help you feel relief from the throbbing and aching pains you’re dealing with. As long as you dedicate time and effort to hand stretches and finger exercises, you’ll be better off.

See below for several hand and finger strengthening exercises that you can perform to minimize the chronic pain.

1. Wrist Stretch Exercise

Wrist pain is common among those that exercise often. Many different forms of exercise place a substantial amount of stress on the wrists, causing chronic pain and throbbing over time. 

If not properly handled, this can quickly turn into a lifelong issue such as rheumatoid arthritis or tendonitis. The only way to improve the pain is to seek out a hand therapy specialist to right the ship.

Fortunately, this wrist stretch exercise can provide pain relief in the short term. To start, fully extend your arm out in front of you with your palm facing the floor. Take your other hand, place it in front of your fingers, and stretch the fingers as far back as possible.

Slowly stretch the fingers back towards your body, then hold them there for about 5 to 10 seconds before slowly returning them to the neutral position. Then, place your hand over the tip of the fingers and push them down, performing the same time cadence.

You’ll want to do this stretch in only 2 sets of 3 repetitions for each hand. While performing this exercise, be sure to focus on your breathing. If you start to feel severe pain, stop the exercise, and reach out to your hand therapy expert.

2. Finger Stretch Exercise

Now that you’ve stretched your wrist, it’s time to focus on the fingers. Start by placing both of your hand’s palm down on a flat surface such as a table or a desk.

Start with only the heel of your hand and the tips of your fingers touching the table. to perform the exercise, start by slowly spreading your fingers down and extend them until all of your fingers and your entire palm is touching the flat surface. 

Hold in that position for a full minute before you release it back to the starting position. In order to see the best results, you will do this exercise two separate times a day, performing four repetitions with each hand.

It’s easy for you to perform while working at your office desk or waiting for your dinner to cook at home.

If the finger pain persists, then you might need professional attention. Be sure to contact a hand therapy specialist to receive the treatment you desperately need.

3. Tight Fist Exercise

This exercise can help you in two ways: 1) it can help strengthen your fingers and 2) it will help you relieve some of your built-up stress.

Start by bending your arm at a 90-degree angle and holding out both of your hands with the palms facing up towards the ceiling. Cautiously bend your fingers to make a fist, then clench your fist (not too hard) for 5 to 10 seconds.

Slowly unclinch your fist and return your fingers to their fully extended position while breathing out through your mouth. This exercise should be done in 3 sets of 10 repetitions each day. 

In order to save time, you can perform it with both hands simultaneously. Your fist should always have your thumbs on the outside of your fingers.

4. Finger Lift Exercise

Start this exercise by placing both of your hands on a flat surface with all fingers and your entire palm flat down. You’ll be slowly lifting one finger at a time, taking about two seconds to lift the finger, then two seconds to lower it before moving on to the next one.

If you’re strapped for time, you can lift all of your fingers at the same time, counting to 5 on the way up, holding it there for 5 seconds, then counting to 5 as you bring them back down.

You’ll do this exercise one time a day, performing 2 or 3 sets (up to you) with 10 repetitions for each finger. Much like the finger stretch exercise, this stretch can be done nonchalantly while making calls at your work desk or while watching TV at night.

5. Finger Extension Exercise

Last, but certainly not least, we have a way to strengthen your fingers and forearms. All you’ll need is a rubber band to perform this exercise.

Start by placing the rubber band around the outside of all your fingers and your thumb. Try to extend the fingers and thumb as far apart from each other before bringing them back close again.

You can perform this exercise anywhere between 15 to 20 times, but make sure not to do it any more than two separate times a day. If you exceed that number, you might do more harm than good.

Use These Finger and Hand Exercises to Your Advantage

Now that you have seen several finger and hand exercises that can help you relieve throbbing pain and arthritis, be sure to use them to your advantage.

Be sure to read this article for more information on the benefits of hand therapy and why it’s so important for your long-term health.

For more inquiries that you might have, please begin by requesting an appointment online and we will be happy to assist you further.