We often take our hands for granted and rarely appreciate the work they do for us. From typing on your keyboard to cooking, eating, texting, and so much more, you use them every day to achieve your goals. This is why a little hand strength is something everyone can benefit from.

Regular hand exercise can improve flexibility and increase your range of motion. Here are some hand exercises that can help you do all your daily tasks with ease and ensure all your muscles are healthy:

1. Squeeze a Stress Ball

This is probably one of the easiest exercises you can do. Get yourself a squeeze (stress) ball (you can find these online too) and squeeze it in your palm for about three seconds. Gently release and repeat this cycle 15 times in each hand.

When you squeeze the ball, the nerves and the muscles in your hand contract, which helps strengthen them. This can ensure the smooth functioning of your nervous system while reducing stress hormones. Therapists recommend exercising with stress balls to people who have arthritis pain to strengthening their grip. Do this exercise twice a week for optimal results.

2. Wrist Flexion

Now that your palm and finger muscles are well exercised, it’s time to target your wrist. A wrist flexion exercise will help increase flexibility and allow you to move your wrist in a normal range of motion.

Take a hand towel, roll it up and place it on the edge of the table. Then gently place your forearm on the table; your wrist should be on the towel with your hand handing off the edge. Next, bring your hand up until you feel a pull in your lower wrist area, and then take your hand back down.

Turn your hand and let your elbow rest directly on the table; the upper wrist area should now be facing the towel. Repeat the same exercise 10 times.

This exercise helps increase flexibility while lowering injury risk, particularly for rowers, musicians, and tennis players.

A person doing the wrist flexion exercises.

3. Focus on Your Fingers

Place your palm flat on a table and lift each finger gently. Start with your thumb, keep it raised for 2-3 seconds, and then lower it. Move to the index finger, middle finger, and so on until one full cycle is complete. Do this twice and switch hands. This exercise helps stimulate the nerves and increase each finger’s flexibility and range of motion.

Hand pain, if ignored, can lead to severe damage over time. Visit a hand therapist right away. Able Hands Rehabilitation has a team of certified hand therapists in Freehold, N.J. We offer customized treatment plans such as occupational hand therapy and custom static splints for effective and quick results.

Reach out to us for more on hand pain therapy in Edison, NJ.