With millions of people worldwide spending hours each day on their smartphones, the stress exerted on the tendons, ligaments, muscles, and nerves in our wrists and hands can lead to wear and tear, potentially causing conditions like arthritis, tenosynovitis, and other inflammatory issues. This can result in pain, dysfunction, and impact our everyday activities.
Technique
Our wrist comprises eight small bones arranged in two rows, with four bones in each row. Over time, through repetitive activities like typing, writing, and even brushing our teeth, these joints can lock or become fixated, leading to various problems such as inflammation, tendon, muscle, or nerve issues.
Here is a quick and easy routine to help free up these joints and reduce potential problems:
- Freeing the Joints that Bend Backwards: Start by taking your thumb and pushing into the joints closer to your forearm (thumb side), these bones being the scaphoid and lunate. Apply gentle pressure and move your thumb back and forth, promoting mobility.
- Freeing the Joints that Bend Forward: Next, move your thumb a little higher up, towards your hand, and push into the joints as you flex your hand forward. This action can help increase mobility in these joints.
- Working the Pisiform Bone: Finally, locate the bone that sticks out on the pinky side of your wrist, called the pisiform. Apply pressure on the inside of this bone with your thumb, while making a slight counteracting movement with your hand. This action can help free up this bone and restore mobility.
After doing this exercise, your hands should feel lighter, almost like rubber. You might also experience tingling, which is due to increased nerve innervation. The routine helps to promote better joint function, increase synovial fluid (a fluid that prevents joint dryness), and improve overall health.
Remember to also stretch your fingers and wrists back periodically, especially considering how much time we spend with our wrists flexed forward.
You can perform this exercise as often as you need to, and it’s a great way to promote better wrist health. Share it with your friends and family, as it could help them significantly. As always, wishing you and your loved ones good health.
References:
Effect of Stretching and Strengthening Exercises on Mobility among the Elderly