In our previous Part 1 blog post, we focused our attention on wrist strength. While wrist strength is important for keeping good stability and alignment with everyday tasks that make use of your hands, this is only one aspect of what makes our wrists function well across many different kinds of activity. Our wrists also need good mobility to be able to tolerate different positions, such as a plank position on the ground, pushups at a wall, or grasping underneath a heavy box. Here are a few ways to begin improving your wrist mobility:
WRIST FLEXION STRETCH - Raise your arm out in front of you with your elbow straight, palm facing the ground. Bring your other hand underneath your palm and lightly press your hand upward so you bend only at the wrist. Gently bend further at the wrist until you feel tension in your forearm and/or underneath your wrist.
WRIST EXTENSION STRETCH - Raise your arm out in front of you with your elbow straight, palm facing the ground. Bring your opposite hand over the back of the extended hand and lightly press down so you bend only at the wrist. Gently bend further at the wrist until you feel tension in your forearm and/or behind your wrist.
WRIST CIRCLES - Gently move both of your wrists in as broad of a circle as possible while keeping your forearms still. Try to move slowly and intentionally to reach as far in each direction as possible. Try moving in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions.
ALL FOURS WRIST WARMUP - Start on your palms and knees on the ground or other solid surface, with feet under shoulders, knees under hips, and fingers pointing forward. Keep your back in a neutral, comfortable alignment. Gently rock your trunk forward and keep your palms pressed down until you feel a productive stretch at your wrist and/or forearm for 10-15 seconds. Gently return to the starting position, and repeat.
These mobility tasks can be used as a consistent regimen 1-2 times a day, or as a standalone warmup prior to performing exercises that place heavy demand on your wrists. A general guideline for held stretches (ie. #1 and #2) is 2-3 repetitions with a 30 second hold. For more active mobility tasks (ie. #3 and #4), try a set of 10 repetitions for each direction.
NEED MORE HELP?
In cases of more specific pain or limitation with your wrist function, you are more likely to benefit from individualized care. Our physical therapists are available to meet with you to screen for other problems that may be impacting your function and to do a thorough analysis of your motion and strength. Using their knowledge of muscles and the skeletal system, they will identify sources of pain and limitation, and determine the correct treatment plan to achieve fast results. Contact us today to make an appointment, and start improving your wrist pain, motion, and function so you can get back to the activities that are most important to you.