Pain-free wrists: 5 exercises for enhanced mobility
What's the story
Wrist dexterity is important for a number of daily activities, from typing to playing musical instruments.
Improving your wrist flexibility and strength can prevent injuries and improve your performance in tasks that require fine motor skills.
Practicing certain exercises can really improve your wrist dexterity and make your movements more fluid and controlled.
Here are five exercises to improve wrist flexibility and strength, for better overall hand function.
Rotation exercise
Wrist rotations for flexibility
Wrist rotations are a simple yet effective exercise to enhance flexibility.
To do this exercise, stretch your arm forward with the palm facing down.
Slowly rotate your wrist clockwise ten times, before switching to counterclockwise rotations for another 10 repetitions.
This movement loosens the joints and muscles around the wrist, promoting a better range of motion.
Flexor stretch
Wrist flexor stretching
Stretching the wrist flexors can relieve tension and increase dexterity.
Extend one arm straight out with the palm facing up.
Use your other hand to gently pull back on the fingers until you feel a stretch along the underside of your forearm.
Hold this position for fifteen seconds before switching hands.
The more regularly you do this, the more flexible you get over time.
Curl exercise
Strengthening with wrist curls
Wrist curls target muscle strengthening around the wrists and forearms.
Sit comfortably with your forearm resting on a table or bench, holding a light weight or resistance band in hand with palms facing up.
Slowly curl your wrist upwards while keeping your forearm stationary, then lower it back down after holding briefly at the top of each curl.
Band extension
Resistance band extensions
Using resistance bands can really build wrist strength with extensions.
Secure one end underfoot and hold the other with an extended arm, palm facing inward.
Extend outward against the band's tension without bending the elbow too much.
Repeat as needed, depending on individual fitness levels, adjusting resistance as necessary to ensure proper execution and maximize benefits without risking injury.