Our hands and wrists do everything for us, but how much do we do for them? From carpal tunnel syndrome to arthritis, there’s a lot at risk for our hands and wrists. When we grip our steering wheel too tight, or spend hours on end typing at work, we’re slowly weakening our hands and wrists. One way to prevent this weakening is by doing hand and wrist stretches.
Just as you stretch and exercise other parts of your body to strengthen and prevent injury, it’s important to stretch and exercise your hands and wrists too. Below are 4 of our favorite hand and wrist stretches that we suggest you try!
4 Simple Hand and Wrist Stretches
Extended Arm
Extend one arm straight in front of you at shoulder height, palm facing down. Bend your arm at the wrist so your fingers are pointing toward the floor. With your free hand, grab your fingers and pull them back toward your body, hold for 20 seconds. Repeat on the other arm.
Extended Arm 2
Extend one arm straight in front of you at shoulder height, palm facing up. With your free hand, grab your fingers and pull them towards the floor (you should be stretching your wrist in the opposite direction as before). Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat on the other arm.
Prayer Hands
Place your palms together at the center of your chest with your elbows out (like you’re praying). While maintaining this position, slowly lower your wrists until you feel a stretch, hold for 5 seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat 3 times.
Finger Extension
Hold your hand up as if you’re showing someone the number five. Extend your fingers as wide as possible and hold for 5 seconds. Then make a fist as tight as possible, holding for 5 seconds. Alternate positions 10 times and then switch hands.
Doing these hand and wrist stretches regularly can strengthen your hands and wrists and reduce your chances of conditions like carpal tunnel and arthritis. So why not do them?
Weak hands and wrists aren’t the only thing that can cause carpal tunnel. Carpal tunnel is actually common in pregnancy. Here’s everything you need to know about why pregnant women experience numbness and tingling in their hands and wrists.
