Exercising Your Hand and Fingers
The ability to have a firm grasp on the world around us cannot be emphasized enough, but doing so without pain is even more important. Sometimes due to an injury or arthritis, we can experience a diminished range of motion and a higher level of pain over time. Your doctor may want you to visit with an occupational therapist in order to evaluate any loss of dexterity or strength and develop a program of exercises to regain range of motion and minimize pain. Since our hand doesn’t actually have a lot of muscle in it, most of the muscles that move our fingers and hands are in our wrists and forearms.
Causes of Discomfort
There are several main causes that can affect our ability to open and close our hands and grasp the world around us. Obviously, any injury to our hand, wrist, or forearm area can hamper our hand's ability to function properly. These injuries can come in the form of sprains or even a bite from the neighbor’s nasty dog. Strokes can lead to motor function impairment including in our arms and hands. This cause requires specialized rehabilitation in order to recover proper motor function. Your occupational therapist will design a regimented therapy program that may take place at a rehab center as well as exercises for the home. Also, as we age it is common to experience rheumatoid arthritis. While this disease attacks the joints, it may also hamper your ability to use your fingers and hands properly. There is a school of thought that the more you exercise any area affected by arthritis, the more you can avoid the pain associated with arthritis. This can be achieved with a memory foam handball exerciser. Perfect for the early stages of therapy, they are color-coded for levels of resistance. Another common cause of hand/finger discomfort is carpal tunnel syndrome. This can because by impingement in the nerve leading to the hand. While these causes may vary, many of the exercises are similar to treating any range of motion or pain issue. Try a hand and wrist exerciser to strengthen your hand and wrist area. Webmd.com identifies some exercises for hands and fingers as:
- Make a Fist: By doing this exercise you can strengthen your hands and fingers while increasing your range of motion, which can minimize pain.
- Finger Stretch: This stretch can increase the range of motion and help with pain relief.
- Claw Stretch: By stretching your fingers during this stretch you can help increase your range of motion.
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